Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) and Tribal Livelihood Promotion: An Indian Experience in Pre-post COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Inequality and deprivation would be inseparable parts in human civilization producing vulnerability in different indigenous groups like tribes. Present pandemic has made the vulnerability of the respective marginalized people to the utmost severity. The inbuilt health devastation, low immunity due to malnutrition and starvation claimed lives and produced other health hazards to the respective communities in COVID-19 situation. Moreover, they could not maintain their livelihood activities if dependent on forestry, tourism or other group involvements due to transport restriction, social distancing criteria of present situation and lack of financial–technical–educational strength. In this very issue, a special promotional scheme, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) has taken special effort to club the scattered vulnerable community in self-help groups (SHGs), a special form of social enterprise offering livelihood security, protection and promotional maintenance to the associates. DAY-NRLM has accepted all indigenous people like tribes under its purview and declared promotional policies as per situational requirements in financial, marketing, skill development areas. Likewise, it has taken promotional steps to somehow curb the socio-economic effect of present pandemic (during April–November 2020) when the promotion of SHGs mainly tribal dominated ones has been declined in number and savings amount there too. Therefore, question may arise how far the mission would offer special benefit to the distressed vulnerable in view of curbing present survival threatening of COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the above-mentioned facts, the present study aims at (1) assessing inter-state variation in tribal participation in SHGs in India in pre (up to March 2020) and post (April–November 2020) pandemic era with emphasize on socio-economic-health-hygiene-related status of tribes in India and impact of COVID-19 on them, (2) highlighting on the policies of DAY-NRLM for indigenous people mainly for tribal community in pre and post COVID-19 phases, and (3) recommending suggestions for further improvement. Now, though DAY-NRLM has taken special care of the vulnerable (SHGs Federation, Vulnerable Reduction Fund, etc.), the tribal participation in SHGs is found meagre in some states in India, and it seems decreased severely in post COVID-19 phase throughout the country. Therefore, more involvement of community resource persons, awareness campaign, etc. may be recommended to somehow achieve improvement in this situation.