Socio-Economic and Health Conditions of Some Major Tribes in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Despite number of initiatives for improving living conditions of the tribals, the progress is not up to the mark. The forests are depleting at faster rate, though the government records do not reflect the reality at ground level. These forests are in no way sustaining food requirements of forest dwellers through their traditional means of hunting and gathering. Mostly they are dependent on agriculture either as cultivators or agriculture labourers. They are malnourished, poor, largely illiterate and rank miserably low in all sorts of health indicators despite of their wealth of traditional knowledge of keeping healthy. Their literacy levels are not adequate to compete with the general population and at the same time they decline to do any work in their native places. In this paper, an attempt is made to bring out general economic conditions, health issues and role of NGOs. Some of these issues are discussed based on two research works: one on Yandai tribe, a Dispersed Tribal Group (DTG) inhibiting in Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh and a baseline survey (for CARE-STEP) of tribes inhibiting in jungles in North coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Keywords: Yanadi, Health Conditions, Coastal Andhra, NGOs, Sub Plan funds

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