Development Transition of a Riverine Tribe: A Study of the Misings in the Brahmaputra Valley

Scheduled Tribes form one of the most disadvantaged segments of the Indian population. The developmental interventions, including the constitutionally guaranteed affirmative action, have had limited success in bringing up the standards of living of these groups. This article focuses on a riverine tribe, the Misings, whose livelihood and developmental challenges are compounded by the recurrent floods and riverbank erosion. It is based on a study of developmental transition of this tribe inhabiting on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries in upper Assam. It analyses socio-economic transition process among the tribe driven by the progressive forces of the spread of education and resulting occupational diversification. The levels of progress are found to vary depending on the degree of vulnerability of settlement locations—those bearing the brunt of recurrent floods and riverbank erosion are lagging behind in development attainments. To make the transition process more expeditious and inclusive, institutional strengthening for better delivery of basic services is suggested.