Human Development among Primitive Tribes in Tamil Nadu

This paper extends the conceptual framework of human development, as developed by the United Nations Development Programme, to the household level to probe variations in the levels of development among primitive tribes in Tamil Nadu. Based on a household survey conducted in the Nilgiri Districts of Tamil Nadu, the study's results indicate significant variations in human development among these tribes. Specifically, the non-scheduled Badaga tribe was found to be the most advanced, while the Kurumba tribe was the least developed. Despite decades of planning and policy-making aimed at fostering human development among these tribes, the process remains mediated by tribal agency, as historical, geographical, socio-economic, and political factors continue to significantly determine the level of human development achieved. Consequently, tribal policies and planning initiatives over the past half-century have not fully addressed these enduring historical and structural forces.