An Impact Assessment of Government-Initiated Programs and Schemes for the Socio-economic Development of Gujarat Tribes in India

Tribes are generally established as a stage or category of society that lacks the positive characteristics of modern culture, resulting in a simple, ignorant, and backward community. Gujarat comprises 8.1 percent of the country’s Scheduled Tribe population. Relying solely on agriculture for improving the socio-economic status of the tribal communities could not serve as a reliable source because of the uneven geographical attributes of the landscape. The state government has made a concerted effort to develop Scheduled Tribes dominated areas. The State’s initiatives for Scheduled Tribes have a long-term objective of improving their quality of life by enhancing and ensuring their right to schooling, health care, and economic development. This can be characterized by the State government’s massive initiatives in the formation and implementation of different various programs and innovative schemes toward the sustainable livelihood and development of the tribal regions. The present study is an effort to review the insights of all the government-initiated programs that aim to enhance the socio-economic status of these schedule tribes. The study also focused to analyze the impact of these schemes on the growth of tribes without affecting their inherent culture and lifestyle.