Blurred Trajectories of Migration Among Tribes: A Study of the Chenchus of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

“Development” definitions of internally displaced people and the government: A study of the Chenchu tribe in the Nallamala forest of southern India

“…The research also indicates that less than half of the Chenchu participants supported displacement from the forest and expressed a need for a change in the existing living conditions. This finding adds to the existing literature that discusses the gradual transition of the Chenchu people, owing to either NSTR conservation or tribal development initiatives (Narayan, 2014;Thamminaina, 2015). A sense of self-development or desire to improve the existing living conditions can be seen in the Chenchu people when they defined development as future expectations of their children being in a better position in life than themselves or when they said that securing loans for investing in income-generating activities was development.…”

“…Although the Indian Government has been investing large amounts of money in tribal welfare and development for Andhra Pradesh (AP Tribal Welfare Department, 2018-19) to alleviate poverty rates and bring socio-economic development to the Chenchu communities, several studies have indicated an "imbalance" or mismatch between the Chenchu people's expectation from development projects and the Indian government's development provisions toward the Chenchu development (Sen and Lalhrietpui, 2006;Narayan, 2014;Ratnam et al, 2014;Thamminaina, 2015). Sen and Lalhrietpui (2006) discuss the Chenchu dissatisfaction toward NSTR conservation goals citing, "one Chenchu hunter-gatherer who was displaced by a tiger reserve reacted to displacement by stating, 'If you love tigers so much, why don't you shift all of them to Hyderabad and declare the city a tiger reserve?'"…”

“…Ratnam et al (2014) highlight that the Chenchu faced unemployment due to the lack of the required vocational skills, a slow adaptation to the relocated places and the people and cultures, and a hindering resistance to new changes in livelihood conditions. Further, Apparao Thamminaina (2015) argues that the relocation from the natural environs within the reserve has resulted in negative consequences for the community: the Chenchu people who were once the masters of their work have become "servants" to others due to their dependency for work. Meenakshi Narayan (2014) argues that although the Chenchu people feel more secure by moving from foraging in the forest to a settled agricultural life in the villages, they still describe their life in the relocated places as one of poverty and unhappiness.…”

“…In recent times, some of the Chenchu tribes have been slowly migrating to the nearby towns due to deforestation, depleting forest resources, exogamy, and Naxal insurgencies (the conflicts between the Maoist groups and the Indian government) (Thamminaina, 2015). In the late 1990s, the state of Andhra Pradesh experienced a surge in Naxal activities where the radical communist groups fought for tribal land rights against the State's control over the forest lands (Goswami, 2013).…”

Incorporating the ESG framework to analyse entrepreneurial opportunities among tribal people

“…The Chenchu tribe has an extensive understanding of forest-based products. They are skilled in the collection of natural resources, such as honey, untamed fruits and medicinal plants, which can be used to manufacture products with added value (Thamminaina, 2015). The Chenchu tribe can produce organic botanical remedies, natural cosmetics and other The ESG framework forest-based products for local and international markets by utilizing their traditional knowledge and sustainable harvesting practices.…”