Socioeconomic Development of Santhals: A Study of the selected villages of Purulia District, West Bengal

Abstract: Santhal tribes are the important segments of society, mainly found in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Orissa states of India. They are economically poor and socially backward tribes of India. However, they have rich cultural heritage. This study examines the socioeconomic development of Santhals of the Purulia district, West Bengal. It further illustrates how their social and economic conditions can be enhanced. This study is based on the collection of empirical data. A case study of eight villages of the Purulia district was conducted in the first half of 2023. A total of 824 households were surveyed, using purposive sampling methods. For the survey, the heads of households were interviewed asking several questions on their socioeconomic activities and status. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to conduct and analyze the data. A structured questionnaire was designed where the questions were asked on population, education, occupation, infrastructural facilities, and income and economy. This study reveals that the Santal tribes are very poor as their socioeconomic status is low in terms of education, income, economy, and livelihoods. Keywords: Socioeconomic development; Santhal tribes; Empirical data, Purulia District. Title: Socioeconomic Development of Santhals: A Study of the selected villages of Purulia District, West Bengal Author: Moupriya Dutta, Vishwambhar Prasad Sati International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 13, Issue 3, July 2025 - September 2025 Page No: 394-407 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 20-September-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17165075 Paper Download link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/socioeconomic-development-of-santhals-a-study-of-the-selected-villages-of-purulia-district-west-bengal