REINVENTING TRIBAL LOCAL GOVERNANCE THROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS IN INDIA: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FIFTH SCHEDULE AREA

Being a part of our social structure, tribal development is a mandatory function of government. In this manner, development of tribes through socio-political and economic empowerment is a crucial issue. These are major aspects in the functioning of local governance and administration. In fact, tribes were miles away from the development process. So, there was a need of special efforts and administrative reforms on governmental level for their socio-economic development; hence the Government of India has adopted the inclusive pattern of development through the 73rd constitutional amendment, Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Area Act, 1996 (PESA) and Administrative Reforms for tribal development. It is appropriate to review such kind of administrative reforms and development process in the context of excluded tribes in India. The pattern of local governance has been accepted to bring these tribal in the current of every development. This present paper attempts to shed light on the condition of such excluded tribes and the pattern of administrative reforms by the Government of India. Moreover, the evaluation of these efforts is undertaken here.