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Developmental Policy and Social Unrest in Jharkhand: An Anthropological Analysis

Ambrish Gautam

British colonial state transformed the forest dependent swidden agriculturist indigenous people into settled plough agriculturist communities. Colonial agrarian policy was guided by the two agrarian acts, the CNTA and SPTA. In the first phase emphasis was given on setting up of large-scale industries and promotion of extractive industries to feed them. For power generation hydro-electric was a new addition to the existing thermal ones. Agriculture was pushed down to the second grade on the scale of preference. Nothing was done to expand irrigated fields and agriculture was left to the vagaries of rains. The waters of the Multipurpose Hydro-Electric projects, such as Damodar Valley Corporation and Subarnareka Multipurpose Project, flew to the neighboring states of West Bengal and Odisha leaving the land of their origin high and dry. Rainfed agriculture accompanied by hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers and pesticides continuously ruined the soil and low productivity coupled with intermittent drought conditions increased the food insecurity of the people. In the next phase, post 90’s economic reform period, more and more agricultural and forest land was diverted for non-forestry purposes to meet the corporate demand for investment in industry. Agriculture by the small farmers found no place in the policy of “Development’ of the post Reform period. Jharkhand was formed with the objective of furthering this ‘Development’ agenda. Let us have a cursory look at these phases of policy change. In this paper I had tried to analyze the developmental prospects and its impact in Jharkhand.