"Industrial Development and Adivasi Livelihoods: A Study in the Sundargarh District of Odisha, India"

The state’s idea of development pertains to the process of economic growth through resource utilization and the Adivasis’ idea of development is a better quality of life and enhancement of opportunities. This study argues that establishing factories and mining in the Adivasi region in the name of the nation's economic development is making the Adivasis' financial situation worse rather than better because it directly impacts their means of livelihood. Since ancient times, the land and forests have been essential to the tribal people's way of life. Agriculture constitutes their primary source of income, as land represents their sole ancestral inheritance. They assert that agriculture and having land will avert starvation for generations. Adivasis' sole sustainable income source is agriculture. One of the main issues Adivasis is facing in eastern India is land acquisition, particularly for development initiatives like mining, industry setup, dam construction, etc. The Adivasi people exhibit less anxiety regarding seeking new livelihood options and emphasize the safeguarding of their land and resources. In light of the argument above, an ethnographic study was undertaken in the Sundargarh district of Odisha, India, a region characterized by its tribal population. Participants' observations, personal interviews, and focused group discussions were conducted to understand the post-land acquisition period in this area and its impact on the livelihoods of the Adivasi community resulting from land acquisition and displacement. The Adivasi population in this area has depended on agriculture and forest resources for their sustenance. However, under the guise of development, there is a concerted effort to undermine this fundamental source of their livelihood. This study reveals the necessity of critically examining the development ideology that justifies the oppression of Adivasi communities and the deterioration of their living conditions in the name of national progress, which fundamentally contradicts the principles of Adivasi rights.