Why in News?
Odisha’s Special Development Councils model in preserving tribal culture is worth emulating.

Context:  
The identity of tribal communities is rooted in their culture. Its uniqueness lies in the unbreakable bond between the community and nature. As societies embrace modernised development, the richness, diversity, and depth of tribal cultures tend to fade away. They tend to get overshadowed by the homogeneity of globalised norms.
In this Context, Central government has introduced several developmental projects for tribal people, but it’s one-size-fits-all approach divorces tribal development from tribal cultures. 
Ex: Schemes like Aspirational Districts Programme also focus exclusively on development-driven indicators and the cultural and societal contexts of those districts are sidelined.
As a solution to this problem, In a significant move towards preserving, promoting, and popularizing tribal culture while also continuing with the development process, the Odisha government launched the Special Development Councils (SDCs) initiative in 2017.

Status of Tribes in India:  
·         In India, most of the tribes are collectively identified under Article 342 as “Scheduled Tribes”.
·         Since independence, the share of tribal population in the country has continuously been increasing census by census.
·         In the current time, the tribal population of India is approaching around 9% of the total population of the country.
 
Basic Safeguards Provided by Indian Constitution for Scheduled Tribes: 
·         The Constitution of India does not endeavor to define the term 'tribe', however, the term Scheduled Tribe' was inserted in the Constitution through Article 342 (i).
·         It lays down that 'the President may, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within the tribes or tribal communities or parts which shall, for the purposes of this Constitution, be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes.
·         The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the setting up a Tribes’ Advisory Council in each of the States having Scheduled Areas.

Educational & Cultural Safeguards:  
·         Article 15(4): Special provisions for advancement of other backward classes (it includes STs)
·         Article 29: Protection of Interests of Minorities (it includes STs)
·    Article 46: The State shall promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes, and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
·         Article 350: Right to conserve distinct Language, Script or Culture,
 
Political Safeguards: 
·         Article 330: Reservation of seats for STs in Lok Sabha
·         Article 332: Reservation of seats for STs in State Legislatures
·         Article 243: Reservation of seats in Panchayats
 
Administrative Safeguards: 
·         Article 275: It provides for the grant of special funds by the Union Government to the State Government for promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes and providing them with a better administration.
 
About Tribal Cultures: 
·         Communal living: Many tribal communities in India have a strong emphasis on communal living and sharing resources.
·         They live in close-knit communities and often make decisions collectively.
·         Self-Sufficiency: Tribe is a synonym for a self-reliant community, a tribe is a relatively closed society and its openness is inversely related to the extent of its self-sufficient pursuits.
·         Connection with nature: Tribals have a strong connection with nature, with traditional beliefs and practices that revolve around the forests and animals.
·         Folk arts and crafts: Tribals are known for their unique art forms, including pottery, weaving, and jewellery making.
·         These crafts often have spiritual or cultural significance and are passed down through generations.
·         Spiritual beliefs: Tribals often have their own unique spiritual beliefs, which may involve the worship of ancestors, nature spirits, or deities.
 
Tribal Lifestyle and Sustainable development: 
·         Respect for the natural environment: Tribal traditional practices, such as using natural materials for housing, food, and medicine, and living in harmony with the cycles of nature.
·         Community-based decision-making: Collective decision-making considers the needs of the community as a whole and ensures that decisions are made in a sustainable and equitable manner.
·         Promotion of biodiversity: Tribals have developed practices to protect and promote diversity which includes traditional methods of agriculture, such as intercropping and seed-saving, as well as the protection of sacred sites that are important for the preservation of biodiversity.
·         Conservation of natural resources: Sustainable practices involve limiting the use of resources to ensure their long-term availability, such as rotational farming or allowing forests to regenerate before harvesting timber.
·         Emphasis on intergenerational knowledge sharing: Passing down knowledge to the next generation includes traditional knowledge of the natural environment and sustainable practices for managing resources.
·         Protection of water resources: Tribal communities rely on water resources and have developed practices that can help to ensure that water is available for future generations, and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
·     Regenerative agriculture: Tribal communities have been practicing regenerative agriculture for centuries, which involves practices like crop rotation, intercropping, and regenerating soils with organic matter.
·         These practices help to sequester carbon in the soil, which can help to mitigate climate change.
·         Use of renewable energy: They have traditionally used renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower which can be expanded and modernized to provide clean energy for more people.
 
Challenges faced by tribals in performing their lifestyle: 
Discrimination: Tribal communities often face discrimination and prejudice from the dominant society, including limited access to education, healthcare, and other basic services.
Land rights: Tribal communities have been displaced from their traditional lands due to industrialization, and mining which has resulted in the loss of cultural identity, and social and economic marginalization.
Climate change and environmental degradation: Climate Change, such as changes in rainfall patterns, increased frequency of natural disasters, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, pollution, and loss of habitat, has negatively impacted their traditional livelihoods and ways of life.
Socioeconomic marginalization: Many tribal communities have limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, which can result in poverty and social exclusion.
Lack of political representation: Tribal communities often lack political representation and may not have a voice in decision-making processes that affect their lives.
Health challenges: Tribal communities often face challenges in accessing quality healthcare, which can result in higher rates of disease, malnutrition, and other health issues.
Cultural assimilation: Many tribal communities face pressure to assimilate into the dominant culture, which can lead to the loss of traditional knowledge, language, and cultural practices.

Government initiatives to conserve tribal culture:  
·         National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), an apex Organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2001 was brought into existence with the sole aim of economic upliftment of the Scheduled Tribes by way of extending concessional financial assistance to the target group under its various schemes.
·         TRIFED’s Initiatives For Tribal Population:
·         The Government plans to establish 50,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, 3000 Haat Bazaars, etc.
·         Central Sector Scheme: Institutional Support for Development & Marketing of Tribal Products / Produce.
·         Tribes India Outlets: The outlets will showcase tribal products from all over the country and the outlets will have a specific geographical indication (GI) and Vandhan corners.
·         Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) and Tribal Festivals, Research Information, and Mass Education
·         Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana: It is a market-linked tribal entrepreneurship development program for forming clusters of tribal Self Help Groups (SHGs) and strengthening them into Tribal Producer Companies.
·         Scholarships for pre-matric, post-matric, and overseas education
·         Support to National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation
·         Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): The scheme covers activities like housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads, etc.
·         Vocational Training in Tribal Area: The aim of the Scheme is to develop the skills of the ST youth for a variety of jobs as well as self-employment and to improve their socio-economic condition by enhancing their income.
·         Centrally Sponsored Scheme: The mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through (MSP) and Development of a Value Chain for MFP’ as a measure of social safety for MFP gatherers.
 
Odisha Case Study: 
Odisha government launched the Special Development Councils (SDCs) initiative in 2017. 
This is an active effort to preserve the culture and heritage of 62 tribes in the State under one umbrella along with economic development.
The scheme, which covered nine tribal-dominated districts and 60 lakh tribal households in 117 blocks, has now been expanded to 23 districts covering more than 84 lakh tribal people.
In this model, important cultural markers that are a reflection of tribal identity are identified and promoted:
1.  Language is recognised as an important marker of culture.
 As Odisha is a land of over 22 diverse tribal languages, the focus is on the use and propagation of these languages. 
Over 21 tribal proficiency centres have been established. These have modules to educate frontline workers like ASHA workers and non-Odia speakers about tribal culture and dialect. 
2. More than 4,500 sacred groves that were close to vanishing from the village landscape are now being conserved. 
These groves hold immense cultural and conservational value for the tribal population, as they are considered to be inhabited by the gods. Resource extraction in these groves is strictly prohibited. 
3. Artisan ID cards have been issued to over 40,000 tribal artisans. This initiative not only preserves culture, but also enables employment opportunities. 
4. To ensure an efficient transfer of knowledge, more than 50 Tribal Resource Centres have been constructed in Sundargarh district. More are coming up in the remaining districts.
  
How do SDCs Work? 
·         The SDCs is a completely state-funded programme. This helps the government factor in the cultural context, which is sorely missing in most Central schemes. 
·         An amount of Rs 387 crore has been budgeted and spent from 2017-18 to 2022-23 by the SDCs. Further, a total of Rs 223.5 crore has been budgeted for 23 SDCs for the year 2023-24 for 62 tribal groups including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). 
·         The projects are taken up by the Council Fund, which is given complete autonomy over the utilization of these funds.
·         The SDC model also helps to preserve the culture and tradition of small tribal groups by giving them a role in decision-making processes. 
·         The Boards are formed under the chairmanship of an eminent tribal person of the locality. The Council consists of the chairperson, vice chairperson (where one among the two has to be a female), and members from various tribal groups nominated by the government. This makes the bodies truly representative of the community.
·         The vision of inclusive growth and community-led development is not an idea but an actionable strategy for Odisha in its 5T (transparency, technology, teamwork, time-limit, leading to transformation)-driven development model. 
·         This model of culture-sensitive and culture-inclusive tribal development is here to stay. It is about time that the Central government also takes inspiration for its tribal sub-plans and district/nodal plans from this model in other tribal-dominated States such as Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, and in the north-east so that they can benefit from this.
·         Overall, tribal lifestyles can provide valuable lessons for sustainable development, particularly in areas with high levels of biodiversity or where development threatens the natural environment.
 
Mains Question:
Q. Tribal lifestyles can offer solutions to climate change and global warming through sustainable practices that protect and preserve the natural environment. In this Context, Discuss the Steps taken by GOI in preserving Tribal Culture.