Adivasi - v8_No.3

Abstract

An All-India Inter-University Panchayati Raj Seminar under the auspices of the University Grants Commission was recently held in the Utkal University Campus a Bhubaneswar. Participants included Anthropologists, Economists, Sociologists and Psychologists from various Universities and other bodies. The Tribal Research Bureau was invited to participate in the seminar. The seminar was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University. The seminar discussed, orientation and approach to Community Development, Economic Development of rural sector, Rural and Tribal leadership and socio-cultural change through Community Development. Valuable discussions on the above topics were initiated through the contributions of the participants. To us the most important topic was the role of traditional Panchayats in Community Development. It was reported by several participants that the statutory elected Panchayats introduced in backward tribal areas have come in conflict with the traditional hereditary Pahchayats among the tribes. The former have tried to provide a new leadership pattern to replace the old one. The new system has not yet caught imagination of the tribals. The statutory Panchayats have not been able to push forward development programme in tribal areas. This anachronism has therefore, been the topic for study by social scientists. In order to obviate this difficulty it was suggested that the Community Development programme should take into account the role of traditional panchayats in tribal areas. The 'Adibasi' hopes the Community Development administrators may benefit from these discussions, and try to implement some of the suggestions advanced in the seminar to make the community development programme a success. The Tribal Research Bureau has studied the shortfall of Tribal Sarpanches in scheduled area in Mayurbhanj district. The findings revealed that educational and economic backwardness have produced a general inertia among the tribals. As a result of it they do not feel interested in Panchayat elections. They are indifferent to major issues in public affairs. Land owners, money-lenders and other influential persons with whom they come in frequent contact in more than one ways exploit the situation and get elected as Sarpanches and Ward Members. In consequence the elected Panchayat , are getting farther away from the sociocultural matrix of the tribals, The present issue of the Adibasi is coming after three months of the previous issue. In the meantime our editor Shri G. N. Das has left the Department. The 'Adibasi' owes a debt to him for his valuable stewardship of the journal for nearly four years. Our last issue was widely appreciated by scholars, teachers and administrators. In spite of paucity of contributions we strive hard. to publish the 'Adibasi' regularly. We request our readers to contribute to our journal which we will immensely value.