Gender and Livelihood: Needed Women Entrepreneurship in Jharkhand

Dr. Vijay Prakash Sharma, Adjunct Faculty,  NIRD&PR, Hyderabad.

e.mail-drvijayprakash@yahoo.co.uk , .

Introduction:

Jharkhand is the second largest state inhabited by Tribal in India. They constitute nearly 26.7% of the population. Majority of tribal women do not undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurship is a key to economic development of a country.

Rapid growth of women’s self-employment through SHGs and entrepreneurship confirms that this is an important avenue to improve women’s employability. Fostering women’s self-employment and entrepreneurship was also acknowledged as a policy priority by the regional Beijing +5 meeting 2000.

Majority of tribal women do not undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurship is a key to economic development of a country. The government programme for women development began as early as 1954 in India but the actual participation began only in 1974. At present, the Government of India has over 27 schemes for women operated by different departments and ministries. The schemes for training and skill development, and provision for credit, infrastructure, marketing which are critical to women’s economic independence and autonomy has very little share.

A general lack of consistent data and research on self-employment, and in particular gender disaggregated data, means that we know little about women’s entrepreneurship. Although women face common challenges related to starting and building up their businesses, their experiences vary.  Women want better access to education, training, and counseling.  Access to capital is a very important issue for many women business owners, who often lack formal education in financial matters and who may face gender-based barriers to accessing financing. Women want full access to business networks such as industry-specific and general business associations. Women want to be treated seriously as business owners.

Methods-

This paper examines the problems of Gender Livelihood in Jharkhand and Constraints of SHG promotion in most tribal dominated backward regions.  The primary data collected from Left wing extremist area of Chaibasa, palamu and Ranchi district and secondary data collected from Jharkhand government socio- economic survey report 2014, internet files and libraries.

SOCIAL EXCLUSION: A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

4^TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON “SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND DEVELOPMENT”, DECEMBER 5-6, 2016,ISRAA, BIDISA, INDIA

Vijay Prakash Sharma,  Director, VAIDYAS-India. E.mai. drvijayprakash@yahoo.co.uk

Introduction

Emile Durkheim, an eminent French Sociologist fought desperately against social alienation or (exclusion), for himself or for all men. He was convinced that the social interdependence of individuals was the reality and true glory of human life, and he applied his own extraordinary independence to the scientific foundation and application of that principle. The true “spirit” of human life for Durkheim was the “spirit of collectivity”. All metaphysical systems- religious and scientific- are symbolic projection’s  of man’s everyday life on earth and that life is inherently a social one. The great implication in Durkheim’s work is that man alone or, more precisely; men together direct their own fortunes. (Kardiner and Preble 1963, 95)¹². In the light of this back drop, I would like to examine  the problem of social exclusion in the world .

According to Canadian Council of Social Development (CCSD), “Ethnic disparities in the correctional system seem to be the result of both discrimination and biases in the system, as well as disproportionate offending within certain populations. However, research shows that those minority groups which are disproportionately involved in offending are those which are economically and socially disadvantaged, in many cases as a result of historical discrimination”¹¹.

The term ‘social exclusion’ first originated in Europe in 1997, where there has tended to be a greater emphasis on spatial exclusion. There is also a policy focus on those living in ‘deprived areas’, where poor housing, inadequate social services, weak political voice and lack of decent work all combine to create an experience of marginalisation. However, there are various understandings of social exclusion and integration. In the seminal article below, Hilary Silver highlights these, and illustrates how they stem from analysts’ own backgrounds and political traditions.

Social exclusion is a socially constructed concept, and can depend on an idea of what is considered ‘normal’. In many developing countries, where most people do not enjoy an acceptable standard of living, defining what is ‘normal’ is not a simple task, especially given the lack of the welfare state and a formalised labour market. Indeed, as social exclusion can be structured around hierarchy, the exclusion of people on the basis of their race, caste or gender, may be viewed by the society excluding them as ‘normal’. As such, the concept of social exclusion is contested, in that it is often difficult to ‘objectively’ identify who is socially excluded, as it is a matter of the criteria adopted and the judgments used.

This paper proposes to discuss, what is social exclusion? How has the concept been applied in developing countries? What new insight into poverty – if any – is provided by the approach of social exclusion?

Trends of Anthropological studies in Jharkhand

Vijay Prakash Sharma, Director, Institute for human development, Ranchi.

Earlier trends-

Anthropology in Jharkhand has a long history starting from 1912 with publication of S C ROY S book on Jharkhand tribal. Regular ethnographic monographs of some of the tribes were published followed by following areas of studies till 2016 through tribal development institutes and others.

1.      Industrialization-Ranchi, Jamshedpur

2.      Culture change-Santhal of Ghatshila

3.      Tourism- impact at Sundarban delta

4.      Modernization and industrialization- Oraon Culture

5.      Women studies- women, crime, domestic conflict

6.      Health studies

7.      Religion including replication of Sacred complex and Nature- Man- Spirit complex.

8.      Development -Tribal, role of NGO and Voluntary organization

9.      Education- tribal and others

10.  Biological anthropology-anthropometry, malaria, anemia, dermogliphics etc.

11.  Indigenous knowledge- santhal music study

12.  Political institutions- traditional and impact of modern panchayats

Present scenario-

Most of the studies in recent times are replication of earlier studies is descriptive in nature except women and health, tourism and music, indigenous knowledge.

Quality research is an area that demands our attention. There is no hard line drawn between Fundamental research and applied research, but if fundamental there will be no fundamental research then applied research will also seize to work. Difference of focus exists between them. Earlier studies had own context and focus but now research methodology is more sophisticated so context has changed.

Future studies/ required area of research-

1.      Explore study of social reorganization due to industrialization as there is a wron notion to call tribal disorganization.

2.      Changing culture as living culture will change whether willingly or unwillingly.

3.      Industrialization stages like primary, secondary and tertiary required to be studied. Industrial labour are purchasing land in villages breaking of village relations due to this needs to be studied as it breaks down after two to three generations of migration in industrial areas.

4.      Whether industries are promoting de-tribalisation? Need to be studied.

5.       Interrelations of industrial workers- tribal –non-tribal should be new study focus.

6.      Political movements and Tribal unrest is another area of study.

7.       Study on Role of ideology required- what is the difference between proclaimed ideology and operational ideology?

8.      Socio-economic studies of past will not answer the above questions so there is a need to give new direction to these studies.

9.      We should focus on new themes under industrialization studies such as – agrarian relations, De-peasantization due to landless situation of peasants. They are becoming casual labours.

10.  Studies on production relations are required.

11.  Sectoral development studies should be taken up- education, health, women, child rearing practices demands special attention. Why primary education is not getting monitored in tribal areas?

12.  Girls are assets in tribal societies so study of girl education required?

13.  Tribal Youth is another important area of study- reasons of their frustrations, distractions and poverty should be studied.

14.  Modern problems before tribal youth are another important area of anthropological study.

                                                  

Political and Economic movements in Jharkhand

What is a movement?

Movement means a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas." the labour movement”.

In the social sciences, a political movement is a social group that operates together to obtain a political goal,^[1] on a local, regional, national, or international scope. Political movements develop, coordinate,^[2] promulgate,^[3] revise,^[4] amend,^[5] interpret,^[6] and produce materials that are intended to address the goals of the base of the movement.

Some political movements have aimed to change government policy, such as the anti-war movement, the Ecology movement, and the Anti-globalization movement. Many have aimed to establish or broaden the rights of subordinate groups, such as abolitionism, the women's suffrage movement, the Civil rights movement, feminism, men's rights movement, etc.

In Jharkhand, a movement called “Naxalism” led by Left wing thinkers and activists seem to be the only major political movement after creation of Jharkhand.

In the recent years, Globalisation may be treated as economic movement – If we consider this, and then to the best of my knowledge- Microfinance movement through SHG can be placed in this category. Sustainable Development can be considered as another one in the list of economic movements in Jharkhand. I would like to share my thoughts in the above frame work.

Jharkhand case-

Jharkhand is the second largest state inhabited by Tribal in India. They constitute nearly 26.7% of the population. Majority of tribal women do not undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurship is a key to economic development of a country.

Rapid growth of women’s self-employment through SHGs and entrepreneurship confirms that this is an important avenue to improve women’s employability. Fostering women’s self-employment and entrepreneurship was also acknowledged as a policy priority by the regional Beijing +5 meeting 2000.

Jharkhand Identity and Culture

by 

Vijay Prakash Sharma

Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person’s self conception and self perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social group that has its own distinct culture. In this way, a cultural trait is both characteristics of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural traits (Ennaji 2005,19-25).

Cultural trait- A cultural trait is a learned behavior of values, traditions, symbols and meaning that are passed from one generation to another within specific community of people. These cultural traits are learned, transmitted, based on symbols, changeable, integrated, ethnocentric and adaptive. The cultural traits represent Cultural identity of a people.                                                                                                                                                         

Before we discuss the cultural Identity of Jharkhand, we need to know what culture is. Anthropologists consider culture as abstract values, beliefs, and perception of the world that lie behind people’s behavior, and which that behavior reflects. These are shared by the members of the society , and when acted upon they produce behavior considered acceptable within that society. Cultures are learned through the medium of language, rather than inherited biologically, and parts of culture function as an integrated whole (Havilland 1981, 26).

Culture is based on symbols. Leslie White considered that all human behavior originates in the use of symbols. Art, religion, and money involve the use of symbols. Most important symbolic aspect of culture is language. Now let us examine different possible aspects that may represent Cultural identity of Jharkhand.

Jharkhand-as a political entity

Jharkhand-as a political entity emerged at Adivasi Mahasabha created by Ignes Beck in 1938 and Jaipal Singh Munda joined the party in 1939 subsequently become its president. He was educated in England and become popular leader of the tribes. Jaipal Singh contested election to the state legislators in 1946 but lost it. There after he raised the first slogan for separate Jharkhand from Bihar. 

Tribal Livelihood and other Issues in Jharkhand

Vijay Prakash Sharma

Abstract

Jharkhand is the second largest state inhabited by Tribal. They constitute nearly 26.7% of the population. Marginalisation of tribal and commercial exploitation of their land and forest dates back to the British period. After independence, the nexus between development administration and businessmen on the one hand, and  laws governing their commons on the other, further deprived them of not only their livelihood, but also resulted in a loss of their identity. The acts of aggression both internal and external are dangerous for their future survival. The major government projects like link-high way project, Netarhat firing range and Damodar Valley Corporations have displaced a large member of tribal. The tribal leadership is passing through a phase of vacuum and the spread of Naxalite movement in the tribal areas is an expression of people’s anger. They need special attention of the Government to address the burning issues for their all-round development. The environmental standards cannot be the same for these two sets of economies. The immediate environmental concerns and issues in developing country like India are- land degradation, soil erosion, disaster management, over chemicalisation  of crop production, air and water pollution including ground water pollution, recycling of waste, increasing pressures on life supporting systems, and socio-economic impact of development projects including human displacement and loss of bio diversity.

A tailor made plan cannot be experimented everywhere, it should be area specific and demand based. If not, then, serious problems will arise. Each & every area has different characteristics like language, natural resources, socio-economic & cultural conditions, human resources etc.

DHARMA: The Indian Cultural Heritage.

PAPER Presented in

International Seminar at Ohio State Univercity, USA.

Dr. Vijay Prakash Sharma, Adjunct Faculty,   National Institute of Rural Development & PR, Hyderabad, India. E. mail- drvijayprakash@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT:American anthropologist, Robert Redfield writes that, “style of life” as used here, includes the way of getting a living in so far as these contribute to the shaping of ideas of the good life. The term emphasizes the judgments, implicit or explicit or expressed, as to what right conduct is (1953, 61).

Today, we are living in a conflicting world and loosing harmony of individual and social living. This paper explains that DHARMA and religion is not the same thing as MANDIRA (temple) is not like a Hindu Church. DHARMA, therefore, is a way of life than mere faith in God. DHARMA in Indian society, explains this right conduct for human being, and it means one that upholds the universe, the discipline or the code of conduct for the people. Civilization intends to make the people aware of the creativity and righteous path. In India, DHARMA was conceived as the only model of individual and social life at all times and in all places, and is referred as SANATANA (perennial) grew gradually over five thousand years. The course of its evaluation is guided by the RISIS, MUNIS, YATIS etc. Here, the summum-bonum of life is liberation i.e. the complete cessation of the cycle of life and birth. This has been designated as PARAMA PURUSAARTHA (the highest of the life).As explained by Lord KRISHNA; Dharma has been created for the benefit of cosmos or universe which does not inflict harm to anybody. This is most important of all other arguments to establish its relevance to modern world. Dharma is the cohesive element, and on the human plane, it is the principal of organization. From the standpoint of the individual, it is the intellectual perception of his proper place and duties in the social cosmos. It is DHARMA that prescribed Hindu “style of life” through the four life stages called PURUSHAARTHAS and Hindu ways of socialization process known as SAMSKAARAAS. The present paper intends to throw light on DHARMA and its impact on Indian society and culture and its relevance to the modern world.