FILE COPY. Tribal Development Plan. AP Rural Poverty Reduction Project. Public Disclosure Authorized. Public Disclosure Authorized

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1 AP Rural Poverty Reduction Project Public Disclosure Authorized Tribal Development Plan Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized FILE COPY

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3 1. INTRODUCTION The Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Project (APRPRP) will cover 500 backward mandals in 16 districts of the State viz. Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Rangareddy, Cuddapah, Kumool and Nalgonda. The focus of the project is to improve opportunities for rural poor to meet priority social and economic needs in the said districts. Since the tribal population constitute the poorest and the most vulnerable of the social groups in the Project, a Tribal Development Plan is proposed as an integral part of the APRPRP. World Bank's Operational Directive 4.20 related to Indigenous People is triggered in APRPRP. In the state, 33 tribal groups are notified as Scheduled Tribes. The list of Scheduled Tribes is appended as Annexure I. The hilly and wooded tracts of Andhra Pradesh State have sheltered most of the tribal population from time immemorial. The Scheduled Tribes inhabiting Andhra Pradesh State possess in varying degrees the following characteristics: a. a close attachment to ancestral territories and to natural resources in these areas; b. self identification and identification by others as members of a distinct cultural group; c. an indigenous language or dialect, often different from the state language; d. presence of customary social and political institutions; and e. primarily subsistence oriented production. The population of Scheduled tribes is 4.2 millions and they constitute 6.3% of the State's general population (1991 Census). The scheduled areas and tribal sub-plan areas in the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Khammam, Warangal, Adilabad and Mahabubnagar constitute the traditional habitat of about 30 tribal groups, while the other 3 groups viz., Yerukula, Yanadi and Lambada, are mainly living in the plains, outside the tribal concentrated areas. The tribal population can be broadly divided into 4 categories based on their geographical distribution, habitat and levels of economy in the State of Andhra Pradesh: Proiect Area a. Those living in the areas of tribal concentration; b. Primitive Tribal Groups'; c. Those living in small pockets outside tribal concentration; and d. Those dispersed through out the State. The project districts comprise three of the five distinct tribal regions of the State. The major tribes and their geographical distribution in the project districts is as follows: IIn Andhra Pradesh, eight Tribal groups viz. Chenchu, Khond, Savara, Kondareddy, Thoti, Gadaba, Porja and Kolam are identified as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) basing on certain criteria evolved by Government of India like pre-agricultural level technology, low literacy and hunting and gathering economy I

4 Geo Ethnic Zones of Project districts S.No. Traditional Habitat Major Tribes 1. Machkund - Sileru Bagata, Muka Dora, Kotia, Khond, River basin Konda Dora, Valmiki, Gadaba, Porja, (agency area of Visakhapatnam district) Goudu, Kammara, Mali. 2. Godavari Basin Koya, Konda Reddi, Naikpod, Valmiki, (agency areas of East & West Godavari, and Lambada. Khammam and Warangal districts ). 3. Nallamalai Region (parts of Kumool, Chenchu. Prakasam, Guntur, Nalgonda, Rangareddy Yerukula, Yanadi and Lambada tribes are found predominantly in the plain areas of Project districts. PARTICIPATION OF POOR COMMUNITIES IN APRPRP The APRPRP is designed to maximize the participation of the target groups, i.e the poor communities. The objectives of the Project are that the poor, and particularly the poorest of the poor build and nurture self-reliant, self managed empowered organizations and through these organizations access economic and social opportunities in a risk managed environment. They are able to convert and expand their asset base into an economically viable, improved and sustainable living. Higher level educational achievement, particularly among girl children of the poorest of the poor is another critical objective. The Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh are amongst the poorest in the Project districts and hence of utmost priority in APRPRP. One of the prerequisites of a successful development plan for the scheduled tribes is the preparation of a culturally appropriate development plan, with the involvement of the tribals and based on full consideration of the options preferred by them. Being a community demand driven Project, the active involvement of the poor communities at each stage of the Project is a fundamental tenet in APRPRP. The involvement of the tribal community in planning, implementation and monitoring of the programmes meant for their own development would be the cornerstone of the tribal development strategy in APRPRP. The process of community participation in tribal development would include establishment of viable and sustainable village institutions, which are self managed and self governed. All project interventions and other Government interventions would flow through such village level institutions. Such an approach would ensure that the development interventions are culturally appropriate. The development needs of each tribal community differ from each other, and therefore there cannot be one single model suited to all the tribal communities. 2

5 COMPONENTS OF APRPRP The APRPRP consists of the following six components: 1. Strengthening Institutional Social and Human Capacity Building. 2. Community Investment Fund. 3. Investment in Social Risk Management & Social Protection. 4. Investment in Educational Support for Two Especially Disadvantaged Groups: Girl Child Labourers and School Drop-outs. 5. Support to people with Disabilities. 6. Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Studies. 1) Strenethening Institutional Social and Human Capacity Building: > Social assessment for identification of those belonging to the target groups and their specific needs. > Mapping of all existing schemes and services on the ground that are relevant and identification of areas of integration. > Social mobilization for setting in motion processes for increasing opportunities for capacity building of the target groups and > Setting up mechanisms for coordination of CBOs and PRIs through Joint Planning and sharing of responsibilities and a baseline assessment of project outcomes for purposes of monitoring impacts. 2) Community Investment Fund: > Activities for which the poor may want to access as a group, based on their current livelihoods, off farm livelihood opportunities for the landless, livelihoods for small and marginal farmers, infrastructure development, land and water conservation / management interventions, etc. 3) Investment in Social Risk Management & Social Protection: > To undertake pilots in social risk management and social protection. > Pilot insurance schemes (in health, livelihoods and agriculture), social safety nets for vulnerable women and groups, girl child protection, management of emergency Social Fund. 4) Investment in Educational Support for two Especiallv Disadvantaged Groups: Girl child Labourers and School Drop-outs: > Investment in weaning girl children away from work. > Provide for campaigns, social mobilization and residential schools etc. 5) Support to Deople with Disabilities: > Investments for meeting the special needs of the people with disabilities mostly in software, capacity building, integration of people with disabilities into main stream, changing social mindset, developing Community based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes, developing cadres of CBR workers etc. > Investments in providing options to destitute 3

6 6) Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Studies: > Cost of incremental staff, technical assistance / consultants, training and workshops and study tours, vehicles, office equipment supplies and other incremental costs. > Special studies and preparation of a follow up project. > Funding for a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system. 2. METHODOLOGY FOR PREPARATION OF THE TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN The following methodology was followed for developing this Tribal development plan. A) Secondary Information The information collected from Secondary sources relate to demography, Social, and cultural profile of Scheduled Tribes, education and literacy, sectoral involvement (work), land holding, health and sanitation, household assets and infrastructure provision. The information has been collected from: Census 1991, Base Line Survey for Andhra Pradesh DPIP conducted by CESS, Reports published by Department of Education, Hyderabad, Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Hyderabad and Tribal Welfare Department, Hyderabad B) Field Work Field work was taken up in sample villages to collect primary data on livelihood strategies, risk-response and impact, access to formal institutions, programmes and projects, informal institutions and common property resources and sustainable livelihood indicators. The sample villages, were selected by a team of international and national consultants, with expertise in PRA techniques, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and interviewing key informants. In the field they were assisted by the Community Coordinators (CCs) and Social Organizers (SOs) of the ongoing APDPIP Project. The team of social researchers from T.C.R & T.I, with a strong background of conducting anthropological studies participated in the fieldwork for collection of the primary data relating to Scheduled Tribes. The studies were conducted in 3 tribal villages each of Anantpur and Adilabad districts, selected on the basis of stratified random sampling. C) Consultations in the project districts During the above 2 phases, a preliminary identification of issues important for the tribals was undertaken and a draft tribal development plan was prepared. In order that the contents of the Tribal Development Plan (TDP) are widely disseminated among the key tribal stakeholders and discussions are facilitated to elicit their views and suggestions, a series of consultations were organized. Prior to the consultations, a summary of the draft TDP was translated into the local language and communicated to the District Collectors, Zilla Panchayat and the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies so that they would facilitate the further dissemination of the TDP. The summary was also displayed in the offices of Collectorate, Zilla Parishads, ITDAs, Block Development Offices, Gram Panchayats and/or communicated to other public among the key tribal stake holders, NGOs, officials and nonofficials to facilitate fruitful discussions during consultation process. Notifications were also issued in Telugu and English, in the state edition of daily news papers highlighting the main 4

7 contents of TDP and inviting the views and suggestions of stakeholders, NGOs, etc. for making necessary modifications in TDP. Consultations were held with tribals in 19 selected villages of three districts, representing the three distinct regions of the State viz. Visakhapatnam district in Coastal Andhra region, Khammam district in Telangana region and Kurnool district in Rayalaseema region. Besides this, workshops were organized with Tribal leaders, NGOs working in the tribal areas, Government officials and elected representatives at the respective ITDA offices to invite their views and suggestions on Tribal Development Plan. A State level meeting was also conducted with NGOs at the office of the SERP. The feedback and suggestions received were documented and incorporated into the TDP before finalization. 3. STATUS OF TRIBALS IN THE PROJECT DISTRICTS ON KEY DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS According to 1991 Census, the Scheduled Tribe population in Andhra Pradesh is 4.2 million and it constitutes 6.3% to the total population of the State. Table No.: 1 Distribution of Scheduled Tribe Population In millions. S.No. Area Total S.T. Population % of S.Ts to Population total population. 1. Andhra Pradesh Project Districts The Project area is spread over parts of 16 districts, out of which Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) are situated in the districts of Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Warangal and Khammam. Apart from the above, the 1TDA for Chenchus (PTG) with headquarters at Sundipenta covers parts of 6 districts viz. Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Mahabubnagar. The Scheduled Tribe population in the Project districts is about 3.05 millions constituting 6.4% of the total population of the Project districts. The Scheduled Tribes inhabiting different regions in Andhra Pradesh exhibit striking diversity in ethnic origins, cultural heritage, social institutions, religions, traditions, dialects, festivals and economic pursuits. Traditional values and social ethos play an important role among the tribal communities. The rich socio cultural profiles of Scheduled Tribes of Andhra Pradesh are presented in Appendix - I. The im ortant development indicators of tribals are given below: S.No. Indicator State Tribal 1 Literacy (%) Area Enrolment ratio I -V (%) Dropout rate I - V (%) Infant Mortality Rate (infants below 1 year per 1000 live births) 5 Incidence of Malaria (PF) - % of population No. of beds per lakh of population

8 7 Percentage of population covered under RWS Cultivators (% of population ) Percentage of Villages electrified (revenue villages, excluding hamlets) (excluding tribal areas) 10 Road length per 100 Sq. Kms The literacy rate among the Scheduled Tribes in the Project districts is significantly lower compared to that of the general population of Project districts. The literacy rate among Scheduled Tribes in Project area is 16.84%, compared to the literacy rate of 44.09% among the general population as per 1991 census. The female S.T literacy rate is 8.56% and the male literacy at 24.78%. The district wise literacy rates among Scheduled Tribes in the Project districts are given in Annexure-6. The most common health problems in the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh include, high incidence of T.B., acute respiratory infections, high incidence of malaria, goiter, diarrhoea and gastro enteritis. The common malnutrition problems found among the tribals are anemia, Vitamin A deficiency and Iodine deficiency diseases. The poor nutritional status among the tribals makes them more susceptible to infection resulting in high mortality and morbidity. Lack of personal hygiene, environmental sanitation and education for health among tribals constitute the major factors affecting the health status of tribals. Agriculture and agriculture labour constitute the mainstay of livelihoods for majority of tribals in Andhra Pradesh. Scheduled Tribe cultivators and agricultural labourers constitute 21.3% and 23.6% respectively to the total tribal population in the Project districts. Land forms the principal source of livelihood for majority of the tribals. Land assumes greater importance in the scheme of tribal development as lack of education, and lack of enterprise among tribals adversely affects their capacity for taking up alternative avenues of employment. With the depletion of non-timber forest produce in the forest areas, the dependence of tribals on land for sustenance has increased even more. The Scheduled Tribe households possess relatively small pieces of land compared to other social groups. In the Project area, about 74% of the total tribal land holders are in the category of small and marginal farmers. The tribal households in TSP areas, possess more livestock per capita, over those outside the TSP areas. Animal husbandry is one of the important household food production systems for the tribals. The details of the status of the livelihoods of tribals relating to baseline data based on secondary information and the fieldwork are presented in Appendix II. 4. LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROTECTION OF TRIBAL RIGHTS Several safeguards have been incorporated in the Constitution of India to protect the Scheduled Tribes from social injustice and all forms of exploitation and promote with special care their educational and economic interests. It also ensures due representation for them in services, legislative bodies and educational institutions. The Scheduled tribes living in the Scheduled areas of the State enjoy a special status under the Constitution and these areas are governed by Vth Schedule to the constitution of India. The Constitution of India provides for establishment of a Tribes Advisory Council 6

9 (TAC) to advice the Governor on matters pertaining to the welfare and advancement of Scheduled Tribes. The Vth Schedule to the constitution of India empowers the Governor to make regulations for the peace and good governance of the scheduled areas. In exercise of the powers vested on him, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh has promulgated Regulations relating to prohibition of transfer of tribal lands to non-tribals and the regulation of money lending operations in Scheduled areas. Tenurial system of land in the tribal areas The lands in the Scheduled areas of the state were covered under the exploitative and feudatory systems of land tenure like zamindari, Jagirdari, muttadari and mahaldari systems. Under these feudatory systems, the tribal tenants did not have security of tenancy over the lands cultivated by them. Regulations were enacted abolishing the intermediaries and conferring security of tenure to the tribal farmers. Title deeds were issued to the tribal tenants for the lands cultivated by them. The important articles of the Indian Constitution safeguarding the interests of Scheduled tribes, the salient features of the above regulations and the policies made for the development of Scheduled tribes in the state are presented in Appendix - III. 5. INSTITUTIONS FOR TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT At the State level the Principal Secretary Social Welfare through the Commissioner of Tribal Welfare is responsible for tribal development in the State. There are Tribal Sub-Plan areas in 8 out of the 23 districts in the State. Integrated Tribal Development Agencv Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (I.T.D.As) have been established for implementation of development programmes for the tribals at Utnoor in Adilabad district, Eturunagaram in Warangal district, Bhadrachalam in Khammam district, K.R. Puram in West Godavari district, Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district, Paderu in Visakhapatnam district, Parvathipuram in Vizianagaram district and Seethampet in Srikakulam district. Two multi-district I.T.D.As have been set up for Chenchus and Yanadis respectively. All the ITDAs function under the overall control of Tribal Welfare Department at State Headquarters. The ITDA is headed by a Project Officer, who is supported by subject matter specialists in agriculture, horticulture, engineering, sericulture, fisheries, information, housing and ground water. The I.T.D.As implement schemes for both area development and family based anti-poverty schemes. The State Plan funds of various departments are usually used for area development, whereas the Special Central Assistance, SGSY funds matched by Institutional Finance are used for implementing poverty alleviation programmes. In each of the I.T.D.As, the office of Special Deputy Collector (TW) has been established with supporting staff to implement the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation, 1959 to protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes in lands situated in scheduled areas. District Tribal Welfare Office: District Tribal Welfare Officers (D.T.W.Os) are functioning in almost all the districts of the State to implement tribal development programmes. The primary responsibility of the D.T.W.O is to monitor the functioning of the Tribal Welfare Ashram Schools, T.W. Hostels 7

10 for boys and girls, and sanctioning of scholarships and educational material to school going Scheduled Tribe students. In the districts outside TSP areas, the D.T.W.O is also responsible to implement economic developmental programmes for the tribals in his jurisdiction. Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (APTWREIS): APTWREIS (named as 'Gurukulam' ) was established at Hyderabad in the year There are 33 primary residential schools, 27 upgraded junior colleges and 5 residential junior colleges under the control of 'Gurukulam'. Giriian Cooperative Corporation Ltd. Girijan Cooperative Corporation Ltd. (GCC) was established during 1956 with headquarters at Visakhapatnam. It is a marketing agency for the tribals to secure remunerative prices for their non-timber forest produce and agricultural produce, and prevent them from selling their produce at distress prices. The G.C.C through its network of Domestic Requirement Depots (DR) is a lifeline for the tribals and supplies their essential consumer goods at reasonable prices. The G.C.C is also a credit institution for the tribals and provides agricultural and consumption loans to the tribals. TRICOR The Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Tribes Cooperative Finance Corporation Ltd. (TRICOR) came into existence in 1976 with headquarters at Hyderabad. The Corporation accesses funds from the G.O.I and the State Government and provides Margin Money assistance (loan at low rates of interest) to tribals for their economic development. TRICOR functions through the I.T.D.As and the D.T.W.Os. The corporation also provides special investment 1% service charges to tribal entrepreneurs towards working capital, purchase of machinery as a bridge gap arrangement TRIBAL CULTURAL RESEARCH & TRAINING INSTITUTE (TCR & TI) The TCR &TI was established in 1963 with headquarters at Hyderabad and regional office at Bhadrachalam, Khammam district. This institute undertakes special studies on life, culture and development of tribals, carries out socio-economic and bench mark surveys; helps formulate the perspective plans of I.T.D.As for development of tribals and evaluates the performance of the tribal development programmes implemented in the state. On going Anti poverty Programmes: The ongoing anti-poverty programmes can be classified under 3 categories (i) wage employment programmes like the Employment Assurance Scheme and Food for Work programme (ii) individual / group income generation through SpI. Central Assistance, S.G.S.Y, CMEY, PMRY, and programmes of National S.T. Financial Development Corporation, I.F.A.D financed A.P. Participatory Tribal Development Programme and (iii) development of common property resources through Community Forest Management, Spl. Central Assistance, plan funds of irrigation Dept., agriculture Dept.

11 6. PARTICIPATORY INITIATIVES IN TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT UNDERTAKEN IN A.P In the last 15 years, Andhra Pradesh has taken several initiatives in adopting a participatory approach for the development of Tribals and the tribal areas. This approach has promoted the active participation of tribals in planning, implementation and monitoring of various development programmes. It has led to the fostering of several village level institutions in the TSP areas of Andhra Pradesh. The important village level institutions are described below: Village Tribal Development Association (V.T.D.A) is the general body of all tribal men and women in a Habitation. The Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat is the President of the Executive Committee, and the other office bearers are elected by the general body. It functions as an umbrella organization at village level encompassing all the specific interest groups, like the women thrift and credit groups, school committee, grain bank management, health care management, forest management, horticulture development and water management. Thrift and credit groups of women (SHGs) women have been motivated to fonn affinity groups, called self help groups, based on regular thrift and credit. The thrift habit has enabled the groups to meet emergency consumption needs of members. Formation of S.H.Gs has also led to several other positive spinoffs - in the form of social action for common purpose, taking up community infrastructure works like school building, link roads, minor irrigation structures, etc. Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been engaged in the tribal sub-plan areas of Andhra Pradesh to promote community based health care delivery system at habitation level. The CHWis a local tribal woman selected by the community. They are provided initial training followed by periodical training on specific health issues, comprising MCH services, minor ailments and improvements in environment sanitation including safe drinking water besides identification of serious illness and referral to nearby medical institutions. School Education Committees are established for every school to enable parents participation in the management of schools. The Committee consists of members elected from among the parents of the enrolled children and school headmaster / senior teacher. Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSS) have been constituted under the scheme of Joint Forest Management which aims at regeneration in degraded forests through active participation of local tribals who depend on forests for their livelihood. 7. CONSULTATIONS WITH SCHEDULED TRIBES ON TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN In developing the Tribal Development Plan extensive consultations were held with the tribal communities, their leaders and elected representatives. Consultations were also held with NGOs, and I.T.D.A Project Officials and officials from line departments. The consultations enabled identification of local priorities and incorporation of indigenous knowledge into the Tribal Development Plan. It is their project. 9

12 The APRPRP being a community demand driven project, consultations will be held with tribals in each project village at each stage of the project: planning, implementation, monitoring and review and planning for the next time slice. These consultations and recommendations should therefore be seen as the first of a series of consultations with tribal communities. This initial consultation process was conducted in the three districts viz, Visakhapatnam, Kharnmam and Kurnool. The methods adopted during the consultation process with the scheduled tribes and other stakeholders are as follows: Scheduled tribes Elected representatives Project officials and line departments NGOs Individual discussions, Group discussions and observations. Individual discussions, joint meetings and district level workshops. Joint meetings, individual discussions, district level workshops. Consultations, Group discussions and district level workshops. The details relating to consultations with Scheduled Tribe community, place, date and issues discussed are as follows: Consultations with Scheduled Tribe Communities and Meetings for Preparation of TDP SI. Date Place No. of List of Issues Application No. participants Participants discussed oflssuesin TDP Consultation at Officials from Discussions Inputs used Village Level TCR&TI, on Tribal for ITDA, NGOs, Development finalizing Tulasipakalu. 53 Tribal leaders, Plan (TDP) the TDP. Elected representatives and Tribal Communities. Jeediguppa. 78 -do- -do- -do Workshop at Officials from Discussions Inputs used ITDA Level. TCR&TI, on Tribal for ITDA, NGOs, Development finalizing Paderu. 67 Tribal leaders Plan (TDP). the TDP. and Elected representatives. Bhadrachalam 85 -do- -do- -do- Sundipenta do- -do- 1 0 _-d o - 10

13 Consultations at Village Level Vulvanuru 81 Bhadrachalam. Officials from -do- ITDA TCR&TI, -do- ITDA, NGOs, Tribal leaders, Elected representatives Mekalabanda. 40 and Tribal Srisailam Communities. ITDA. -do- -do- -do Vanabasingi 79 -do- -do- -do- Paderu Korrai 96 -do- -do- -do- Kothavalasa Paderu. Koida 107 -do- -do- -do- Badrachalam. Kottalacheruvu. 65 -do- -do- -do- Srisailam. Sivapuram. 77 -do- -do- -do- Srisailam Gurupalli Paderu do- -do- -do- P.G.Madugula 150 -do- -do- -do- Paderu Kothapeta 184 -do- -do- -do- Badrachalam. Velugodu 52 -do- -do- -do- Chenchu Col. Srisailam. Panyam 76 -do- -do- -do- Chenchu Col. Srisailam Rintada 117 -do- -do- -do-

14 Paderu. Bakuluru 108 -do- -do- -do- Paderu. Pogallapalli 102 -do- -do- -do- Badrachalam Mahanandi 56 -do- -do- -do- Srisailam. Sugalimatta 68 -do- -do- -do- Srisailam. 8. KEY ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN THE CONSULTATION PROCESS The key issues, from the point of view of the tribals, to be addressed by the project, have been identified on the basis of information collected from field work and the consultation process undertaken with tribal communities, elected representatives, NGOs and Government officials. These issues have been categorised under the following major categories: I. Institution building. I. Mobilisation of Scheduled Tribe Women to form into SHGs and strengthening of already existing SHGs. 2. Orientation training to the functionaries of SHGs on project objectives, preparation, implementation and monitoring of plans. 3. Lack of awareness on safeguards meant for Tribals under the constitution 4. Multiplicity of SHGs at habitation level II. Community Investment Fund for Livelihoods of the tribals 1. Lack of awareness among women on income generating activities. 2. Low productivity of lands. 3. High incidence of landlessness, especially in plain areas. 4. Depletion of NTFP. 5. Lack of awareness on processing and marketing of NTFP, Agriculture and horticulture produce. 6. Propagation of herbal medicines in tribal areas. 7. Market linkages for tribal handicrafts. 8. Technical and Financial support to Demand driven sub-projects for small infrastructure development and income generating investment proposals. 9. Lack of employment to educated tribal youth. 10. Lack of Assistance to differently abled tribals 12

15 III. Risk management. 1. Food insecurity during lean seasons 2. Vulnerability to risk. IV. Proiect Management. 1. Lack of awareness on tribal culture to the field level functionaries 2. Gender sensitization to the field level functionaries and to the tribal community. V. Issues relating to other line departments 1. Involvement of traditional tribal councils in development. 2. Tribal dialect, hindrance for promotion of education. 3. High incidence of dropouts especially among girls. 4. Lack of awareness on health, hygiene and sanitation. 5. Alienation of tribal land in Scheduled Areas. 9. TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Objectives The objectives of the Tribal Development Plan are: * to evolve a development process which fosters full respect for dignity, human rights and cultural uniqueness of indigenous people, * to ensure that they do not suffer adverse effects during the development process, and, * to take up economic benefit programmes which are culturally and socially compatible. The Tribal Development Plan aims at building strong self reliant and self managing institutions of tribals, and through these institutions enable the tribals to access economic and social opportunities to overcome poverty and raise their living standards. The Tribal Development Plan will build on the earlier successful participatory initiatives of the I.T.D.A. For example, institutions like the Village Tribal Development Associations (V.T.D.A), the general body of all tribals in a habitation have assumed a significant role in the development process. The tribal women who are highly homogeneous and cohesive have adopted the concept of Self Help Group (SHG) for thrift and credit. They have come together as strong groups to implement programmes of relevance to their communities like construction of school buildings, anganwadi buildings, link roads, small irrigation structures etc. The Tribal Development Plan will foster and strengthen self-managed institutions of tribals. All development interventions under the Project will be undertaken with the complete involvement of the tribal communities. The Tribal Development Plan will adopt a Livelihoods framework to identify opportunities and possible interventions. The development 13

16 plan will take into consideration the location variations like tribes living in interior forest areas (mostly PTGs), tribes living in relatively developed areas and tribes living in rural areas along with non-tribal communities. All Project functionaries working in the tribal areas, especially the grassroots functionaries, Community Coordinators and Assistant Project Managers, would be oriented towards tribal culture and development issues to enable them to appreciate the importance of "tribal way of life" (culture) while working among the tribals. With this participatory strategy, there would not be any potential adverse impacts on the tribals, as they are completely involved in each and every stage of the intervention process. Considering the immense importance of N.T.F.P in the lives of the tribals, especially the landless tribals, and the policy issues involved in ensuring the rights of the tribals over the resource, the various issues involved in N.T.F.P development, including the role of G.C.C have been presented in some detail below. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY The institutional arrangements for implementation of Tribal Development Plan (T.D.P) would be similar to the arrangements in the ongoing APDPIP. Since the scheduled tribes inhabiting the different regions of the project districts exhibit striking diversity in ethnic origins, cultural heritage, social institutions, religious traditions, dialects, festivals and economic pursuits, an indepth understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, political and religious life of the tribals will be imparted to all the project functionaries, right from the district level to the village level, including the N.G.Os involved in T.D.P at the time of induction. This would run concurrently with the main plan. This orientation would enable them to develop an empathy and understanding of the tribal problems. The tribal community would engage community facilitator from among the local tribal educated youth to assist all the groups in their activities. The grassroots functionaries of the project, the C.Cs would be appointed by the Mandal Samakhyas and the Community Activists by the Village Organisations and they would be accountable to them. The performance of C.Cs will be continuously assessed by the Mandal Samakhyas. Institution building processes There are villages / habitations exclusively inhabited by tribals and villages in which both tribals and non tribals inhabit the Project districts. In the agency areas of the districts like Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Khammam, East Godavari, West Godavari, even among villages which have only tribal population there are both homogenous villages ie. villages inhabited by people belonging to single tribal group and heterogenous villages i.e. villages inhabited by several tribal groups. Therefore, to address the needs of tribals in these different situations distinct strategies would be adopted. The processes described below are not universal prescriptions. Likely processes are described below, and the actual implementation will be participatory and situation specific. (i) Exclusive tribal villages The C.Cs and C.As concerned would consult tribal leaders, both men and women on the kind of groups that would be formed from among the tribal families. It is difficult to predict as to the kind of groups that would emerge. It is likely that in multi-tribal villages, the S.H.Gs, the primary affinity groups, would be formed separately for each tribal sub-group. This was also the opinion expressed by the tribal 14

17 community during the consultation process. They opined that group members in any of the S.H.Gs shall belong to the same tribal group as they have close relations with each other and they trust each other. They can be motivated to work together. All such S.H.Gs in a village would form into a Village Organisation, since the different tribal groups traditionally extend mutual co-operation in times of need. (ii) Mixed Villages Mixed villages would be of two types - tribal majority villages and non-tribal majority villages. The institution building process will be different in each context. The project would address the concerns of the poor non-tribals in tribal villages. In a tribal majority villages, the tribal S.H.Gs and the non-tribal S.H.Gs would perhaps be formed separately and federate at the village level. In a non-tribal majority village, the tribals typically live in a separate settlement within the village or at the outskirts of the village. S.H.Gs would be formed for tribals exclusively and the S.H.Gs of the non-tribals would be formed separately. As far as federation of the groups is concerned, it is likely that these groups would federate at the V.0 level. There is also a possibility that if there are several mixed villages in a cluster, the tribal S.H.Gs of all these adjacent villages in a mandal may form a separate federation of tribal S.H.Gs groups. The exact form of this process may vary from place to place, and district to district and it will be determined based on the preferences of the tribals and the non-tribal poor. Community Investment Fund The C.Cs and the C.As would hold meetings with the tribal leaders and ascertain training requirement of the community and their needs. They would then develop a calendar of training for capacity building of the groups. The S.H.Gs /C.I.Gs and V.Os /V.T.D.As would be provided training in participation, conduct of meetings, collective decision making, thrift and credit, grain banks, and on livelihoods issues. The Groups would also be provided orientation on provisions of A.P.Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 1998, and on the protective regulations and the safeguards envisaged for the tribals under the Constitution of India and various other statutes. The Project would adopt a Livelihoods framework for generation of projects to be financed under the Community Investment Fund. The Livelihoods Associates and the C.Cs would sensitise the tribal communities to analyse their existing livelihoods and identify the gaps in each of their current livelihoods. They would identify the resources available - natural and human, and the opportunities and risks in each of the existing livelihoods. This would be done through a participatory process and there would be several rounds of discussions. The focus naturally would be on the traditional livelihoods sources of the Scheduled Tribes such as land, livestock and forests. Through a value chain analysis of each significant livelihoods - starting with the inputs and analysis of each stage of the chain till marketing - the community would identify the leakages and gaps and opportunities for consolidation and expansion in their present livelihoods. They would analyse the causes of leakages and gaps in their livelihoods and the alternative approaches that can be adopted for their development and select appropriate plans for intervention. To operationalised these plans the communities would develop the sub-projects, to be financed by the project under the Community Investment Fund component. 15

18 The livelihoods and the sub-sectors where interventions are likely to take place include: * Land and water development - soil conservation, irrigation, etc * Agriculture - crop development: maize, paddy and turmeric (Warangal), paddy, groundnut and chillies (Khammam), nigerseed, ginger and turmeric (Vishakhapatnam), etc * Horticulture development - cashew, mango, jackfruit, banana, pineapple, coffee, etc * Non-timber Forest produce - tamarind, gum karaya, mohwa flower, mohwa seed, lac, myrobalans, tasar, bamboo, beedi leaf, adda leaf,etc * Medicinal plants - about 50 important items have been shortlisted * Live Stock and dairy development - cows, buffaloes, sheep, poultry, pigs, etc * Off-farm: post-harvest value addition to agri produce, Non-timber Forest produce, and livestock, farm mechanisation services * Tribal handicrafts: based on a variety of traditional skills like basket making, rope making, black smithy etc. * Non-farm: Retail and wholesale trade, service sector - construction, repair workshops for oil engines, electric motors, farm machinery, etc. The list of above interventions is a tentative one. As mentioned above the livelihoods expansion plans of each village will be developed by the tribal communities themselves, with facilitation support from the project. The tribals through their institutions would not only develop plans for livelihoods expansion, but would be responsible for implementation and monitoring of the plans thus prepared. In order to bridge their knowledge gap Tribal youth would be trained as para professionals and provided necessary inputs in managing that sector interventions - from production to marketing. The tribal institutions would receive capacity building inputs from the project staff and functionaries for the evolution and management of sub projects. The capacity building inputs for the tribal communities would include visits to successful interventions. The Gram Sabha discuss the sub projects in a meeting before submission to the T.P.M.U to ensure that the entire community is informed and gets a chance to give their advice and suggestions. The sub project proposals would be submitted by the C.I.G.S or VOs or the VTDAs or the Gram Panchayat to the T.P.M.U for funding. NTFP development and role of G.C.C In the Project area, it is estimated that collection and sale of N.T.F.P is the single largest source of income for almost 80,000 tribals. It is a subsidiary source of income for another 100,000 to 120,000 tribals. Out of a total 640,000 tribal families in the project area, about 30% families derive moderate to significant incomes from N.T.F.P. In addition N.T.F.P serves the consumption needs of the tribals. Thus N.T.F.P plays an important role in the lives of tribals, especially the landless. The concerns expressed by tribals, in the consultation process, relating to N.T.F.P are: * fast depletion of N.T.F.P * illegal cutting of NTFP trees * unsustainable tapping of NTFP and overexploitation of N.T.F.P 16

19 * need for community management of allocation of N.T.F.P trees for tapping gum and raising lac * encroachment by non-tribals to the N.T.F.P resources * need for protection and regeneration of NTFP species with tribal involvement - community management of forests * lack of knowledge of processing of N.T.F.P * marketing of N.T.F.P - underweighment, low prices, monopoly rights of G.C.C and Forest department * lack of knowledge of the vast medicinal plants wealth available in their vicinity Learning from past intervention in N.T.F.P There have been several successful interventions in N.T.F.P in A.P and elsewhere. The learning from N.T.F.P sector interventions in the past and in the first project are as follows: * N.T.F.P is the main source of income for the poorest among the tribals, i.e the landless tribals living in the proximity of forests * In the Tribal Sub Plan areas of Visakhapatnam, E.Godavari, W.Godavari, Khammam and Warangal districts the forest area is about 66% of the total geographical area. The livelihoods strategy in these areas would depend on forestry and N.T.F.P. There are severe limits on what can be done under agriculture. * Interventions in N.T.F.P yield very high returns at a very low cost - hence substantial increases in incomes of the poorest of the poor are possible through N.T.F.P development * Interventions in ensuring scientific harvesting practices help conservation of the trees and plants, and thus these interventions have positive effect on the environment * The market for N.T.F.P and medicinal plants has a high growth rate both in the short term and the long termn * N.T.F.P requires linkages with institutions of science and technology and with such linkages substantial increases in unit realizations are possible. Such linkages are required in the areas of: sustainable harvesting, post harvesting, grading, preservation of active ingredients, value addition at village level, and value addition at a higher level * Work on N.T.F.P in tribal areas will also help the landless poor among the non-tribals who are in the vicinity of forests. * health costs can be reduced through promotion of herbal remedies and medicinal herbs kitchen gardens. Thus N.T.F.P is of utmost importance to the landless tribals and the Tribal Development Plan will address this sector comprehensively. The issues which need to be addressed can be categorised as follows: * Sustainable harvesting of N.T.F.P * Protection and regeneration of N.T.F.P * Post-harvest practices * Value addition through processing at village level * technologies for preserving bio-active ingredients * marketing of N.T.F.P 17

20 * policy issues relating to N.T.F.P, which impose restrictions on the tribals collecting N.T.F.P To address all these issues will require the Project to work in close coordination with the following institutions: * Government departments: Tribal Welfare, G.C.C, Forest, Panchayat Raj, Health, Education * Scientific institutions: C.S.I.R Labs (N.B.R.I, I.I.C.T, C.C.M.B, C.D.R.L, C.F.T.R.I, etc), I.C.A.R, Forest Research Institute, Universities, research labs of private sector, freelance scientists, etc. * N.G.Os working in this sector: F.R.L.H.T, F.E.S, Kovel Foundation, etc. * Industry : Medicinal herbs exporters, Ayurvedic, Cosmetics, Drugs and Chemicals, Dyes, Natural pesticides, Gums and resins, etc Role of Girijan Cooperative Corporation (G.C.C) in enhancing income opportunities for the tribals from the sale of N.T.F.Ps The Tribal Development Plan will focus on building the capacities of the tribal N.T.F.P Collectors' associations to market their N.T.F.P. At present the G.C.C has monopoly procurement rights over 27 items of N.T.F.P. These are the most important N.T.F.P items in terms of both quantities and value. The other items of importance to the tribals are beedi leaves and bamboo, over which the forest department has monopoly rights. In order to ensure that the tribals get remunerative prices for N.T.F.P, the tribal N.T.F.P Collectors' Associations will be registered with G.C.C or its Primary society. The G.C.C would have a dual system wherein the tribal N.T.F.P Collectors' Associations can sell the produce as a group to G.C.C, wherever G.C.C's price is the best price compared to the market, and, in situations where in their assessment they can secure a better price for their members, the G.C.C permits them to do so. The State Government (Tribal Welfare Department ) will issue necessary orders to facilitate the above arrangement. Social protection and risk management One of the key issues identified in the consultation process is the extreme vulnerability of the tribals. The project would develop community based social protection and insurance mechanisms to protect households, and communities from risks to their health, life, and assets and enterprises. The differently abled people are among the most vulnerable social groups and the project would provide community based rehabilitation and economic support to them. Child labour eradication The low human capital base, evidenced by very low literacy rates would also be addressed in the project through community based initiatives which have been successfully implemented in the state. Tribal communities would be mobilized to prevent child labour and to ensure that all children are sent to school. The girl children, who are weaned away from child labour will be admitted in bridge course centers. The project would establish Residential schools for admitting such children. 18

21 LINKAGES WITH THE VARIOUS ONGOING PROGRAMS OF THE LINE- DEPARTMENTS In order to ensure effective administration in the tribal areas, Government have placed a lot of responsibility on the P.0, I.T.D.A. The Project Officer, 1TDA has the responsibility of implementing all development programmes for tribals, either directly through the I.T.D.A, or through the line departments functioning in the tribal areas. The P.0, I.T.D.A monitors the work of all the line departments. The sub-district heads of all the line departments are under the administrative control of the P.0, I.T.D.A, just as the District heads of all line departments are under the administrative control of the District Collector. This unique coordinating role of the P.0, I.T.D.A ensures convergence with important line departments like health, education, child welfare and nutrition, agriculture, horticulture, fisheries development, G.C.C, etc. LINKAGES WITH OTHER EXTERNALLY FUNDED POVERTY ERADICATION PROJECTS There are 3 major community based projects in the Project areas: 1. A.P.Participatory Tribal Development Project 2. Sustainable Tribal Empowerment Project 3. A.P.Community Forestry Management Project A.P. Participatory Tribal Development Project This is a project, funded by IFAD, being implemented in 10 districts, out of which 8 districts are common to APRPRP - Warangal, Khammam, W.Godavari, Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur, Nalgonda and Rangareddy. The Project is in its last year, ending in Under this project, a large number of Community based organizations have been promoted and nurtured. Development interventions, essentially in the areas of Natural resources management have been undertaken through the C.B.Os. The interventions under APRPRP will build on the successful community based institutions of this project. Due to the presence of strong C.B.Os, the implementation of the project components in these villages will be quicker. It is expected that these villages would act as resource villages for the tribal villages to be taken up under APRPRP. Sustainable Tribal Empowerment Project (S.T.E.P) This is a E.U - C.A.R.E project being implemented in 4 districts, out of which 2 districts - Vishakhapatnam and E.Godavari are common to both projects. This project commenced in The Tribal Welfare department, S.E.R.P and C.A.R.E have already held discussions on convergence. In the C.A.R.E Project, the P.0, I.T.D.A has the nodal role in the project implementation. The 3 agencies, TW Dept, S.E.R.P, and C.A.R.E, will formalise the convergence, so that there is no overlap and duplication. A.P.Community Forestry Management Project (A.P.C.F.M.P) This is a World Bank funded project being implemented by the Forest Department. The project is being implemented in 14 districts of the state. The loan became effective in APCFMP is to be implemented in 3245 villages in the ITDA area of which