The future of governance in post-Maoist India, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• The growth of the Maoist movement in the 1990s and early 2000s is linked to underdevelopment and socio-economic issues in central and eastern India.
• The Indian state has adopted a "two-pronged" approach, combining security and development, to counter the Maoist threat.
• Fifth Schedule areas, with substantial tribal populations, have experienced discrimination and exploitation despite constitutional provisions.
• Governance deficits and low political priority have created a fertile ground for Maoist mobilization of aggrieved adivasi populations.

Detailed Insights:

• The Fifth Schedule, intended as a social contract for adivasis, has failed due to state neglect and poor governance, leading to persistent low socio-economic status.
• Despite legal safeguards, millions of tribal people have been dispossessed of their land due to arbitrary land acquisition, especially after economic liberalization.
• The absence of locals in administrative units implementing Fifth Schedule provisions has deepened alienation, with apex bodies doing little to stop exploitation.
• PESA (1996) aimed at adivasi self-governance, has faced violations, particularly regarding land acquisition, undermining its effectiveness.
• Improving service delivery through digital technology is crucial, but addressing structural bottlenecks like under-representation of locals is also essential.
• FRA faces dilution, and the CAF Act (2016) affects forest dwellers' livelihoods, while PESA faces resistance, especially in Maoist-affected areas like Chhattisgarh.
• A post-Maoist governance vision can benefit from the Sixth Schedule model, which uses Autonomous Districts/Zonal Councils, to reverse political and administrative under-representation of adivasis.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Fifth Schedule: Constitutional provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states.
• PESA (1996): Law extending Panchayati Raj to Scheduled Areas, promoting self-governance among tribal communities.
• FRA: Protects the rights of tribal and forest-dwelling communities to access and manage forest resources.