Health goals of millennium development and the tribal population in India: A reality

Numerous studies revealed diversified nature of health condition among tribal in India. This paper attempts to explore to what extent the MDGs related to health become realistic and how much they are paradoxical towards tribal people. Whether, the initiatives undertaken to achieve desired health status for tribal population in India needs retrospective and prospective analysis. Have the government and development agencies translated the policy decision into committed plan of actions and reviewed programme and strategies to ensure the needs and rights of tribal people? Have such agencies considered ensuring the tribal participation in the programmes aiming toward MDGs of health and welfare? These few questions need to be analyzed before proceeding towards accomplishment of the MDGs. The present paper utilizes the secondary data on health related to tribal population in India. Analysis revealed that there is lack of information on the extent of tribal peoples’ health and development. It demands the need for collection of disaggregated data upholding prescribed set of indicators for measuring progress towards the MDGs so that a revised strategies can be drafted according to cultural perspectives of the tribal people to ensure the maximum impact of MDGs’ on these groups. While a set of indicators has been selected to measure progress towards the MDGs, there are no guidelines as to how they should be achieved for tribal and marginalized people.