Ramya, T. (2014). “Forest as a Source of Livelihood for the Tribals of Kurung Kumey

District, Arunachal Pradesh”. In Manis Kumar Raha (Ed.), North East India: The Human

Landscape, pp. 99-114. [ISBN: 978-93-5125-047-0]. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company

Pvt. Ltd.

Forest as a Source of Livelihood for the Tribes in Kurung Kumey District, Arunachal

Pradesh

Tame Ramya

Ph.D. Scholar

Department of Anthropology

Rajiv Gandhi University [A Central University]

Rono Hills, Doimukh - 791112, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Email: taramya@live.com

Abstract

Tribals are of great interest and intense significance from forest perspective, as they inhabit for a

very long period time over the same region. In the state of Arunachal Pradesh as a whole and

Kurung Kumey district in particular, tribal communities reside in close touch with forest and thus,

dependent on it. That is why, it’s a great significance to study their do’s and don’ts in order to

propose better forest and environmental management interventions considering options for

enhancing livelihoods of the tribal communities in Kurung Kumey district. In this study, three

tribal communities of the district i.e., Nyishi, Bangru and Puroik have been purposively selected

for questionnaire survey. Data has been taken into consideration from two vital viewpoint i.e.,

livelihood pattern and forest dependence, assuming that all tribes are dependent on forest

resources for their livelihood. Through this study, it is found that Nyishi and Bangru tribes are

economically better-off in terms of land ownership and income per capita respectively. Forestry

practice provides little share in their total income though Nyishi tribe has the highest land per

capita in forestry sector as well as in agricultural sector. On the other hand, Puroik tribe’s living

standard is comparatively very low as their income and land per capita is low, and they are more

dependent on forest. Bangru tribe keeps the comparative middle status in almost every sector. A

variety of other social and environmental factors were also collected and thoroughly analysed

which may be useful for further research in this region.

Keywords: Forest, Resources, Livelihood, Tribals, Kurung Kumey, Arunachal Pradesh

Introduction

In present day Arunachal Pradesh, there is a general conformity about the importance of

tribal people on social and cultural practices. As tribal communities constitute the state’s cultural

diversity, the knowledge and study on those regions require vast amount of data about those

people’s way of life. Tribal people numbers little more than 7 lakhs i.e. 64.22% of the state’s total

population (2001 Census) embody and nurture the state’s cultural and biological diversity. They

live in around naturally origin virgin forests and are concerned with preserving land, protecting

language and promoting culture. Some tribal people strive to preserve traditional way of life, while

other seeks greater participation in the current state structure.

A total of 26 different major tribes and 110 sub-tribes and minor tribes speaking as many

as 42 different dialects with varied size and populaion are living in Arunachal Pradesh (Arunachal

Pradesh State Gazetteer, 2010). While coming to Kurung Kumey district, as per the provisional

population Census of 2011, the population of a district is pegged at 89,717 with 44,226 males and

45,491 females as compare to 42,518 with 21,117 males and 21,401 females in 2001 Census. The

district registered a record decadal growth rate among the districts of Arunachal Pradesh with

111.01% during the decade 2001-2011. The population of this district is predominantly tribal (more

than 97%) and Nyishis, Bangrus and Puroiks are the major tribal groups inhabiting the region. The

Nyishis are demographically the dominant tribe inhabiting in all directions/circles of the district.

The Bangrus, a relatively small tribe is confined to the western and north-western part of the Sarli

circleand in some pockets of Damin circle. They are closely related to the Nyishis whom they

resemble in dress, festivals, manners and customs, and with whom they often intermarry. The

Puroiks are confined to the high hills in the district’s northern, north-western and western part

spanning the areas of Sarli, Nyapin and Phassang circles. The Puroik settlements are interspersed

with the Nyishi and Bangru villages. Their economy is based on food-gathering and big-game

hunting. Few of them are now taking to sedentary form of agriculture and the change in their life

style is now perceptible, though at minimal level.

The tribal communities in Kurung Kumey district are still left as the most disadvantageous

groups by the government and policy makers. These tribals sometimes fell themselves alienated

from the mainstream in terms of actual practice and development behaviour. As a consequence, an

antagonistic relationship has been inexistence between the people and government. The

government claims that the tribals are key destroyers of the forest and its resources. On the other

hand, the tribal people believe that different developmental projects and incursion of non-

indigenous people to their area are adversely affecting their lifestyle and livelihood. Hence, the

importance of studying people’s livelihood pattern cannot be ignored, as the rural setting refers

more dependence on forest than urban areas and diversified practice needs diversified study. This

study was carried out to have an idea about the tribal lifestyle, to have an understanding of the

socio-economic status of tribals and also to find out the dependence of forest as a source of

livelihood among the tribal communities of Kurung Kumey district in Arunachal Pradesh.

Methodology

This paper dicussses about three tribes viz. Nyishi, Bangru and Puroik in Kurung Kumey

district of Arunachal Pradesh. Data was collected from three different sites and from two

significant perspectives of livelihood pattern and forest dependence. Questionnaire survey was

prepared to accumulate the data. Through those data, their socio-economic status was analysed and

scrutiny is made to find out who are comparatively more dependent on forest resources for their

living. It is assumed that, all the three tribal communities are equally dependent on forest for their

livelihood. Further, it is also presumed that they have equal impact on forest. The area for the study

of tribal communities was as under:

i. For Nyishi tribe- Hiya village, Nyapin Sub-Division, Kurung Kumey District.

ii. For Bangru tribe- Wabia village, Sarli circle, Kurung Kumey District.

iii. For Puroik tribe- Polosang village, Sarli circle, Kurung Kumey District.

Purposive clustered sampling was pursued. Area of study was chosen purposively to get

typical data from a specific tribal community. This was done in order to make the outcomes

identical to a greater extent. Investigation was done to opt the method of sampling. A total of 30

tribal families were interviewed taking 10 families from each tribe.

People-Forest Interactions

There is no doubt that all people (rural or urban dwellers) have some dependence on

forests, at least for contsruction materials and for products such as timbers and papers. However,

many people rely heavily on forests for their livelihoods (see Table 1.). In this regard, rural

households heavily relied on natural resources. Studies indicate that as much as 20-25% of rural

people’s income may be derived from environmental resources in developing countries where India

is also a part (WRI, 2005; Vedeld et al., 2007). Poor people typically engage more in low-return

forest activities, but often fail to accunulate capital from such activities. Meanwhile, the concept of

‘forest-dependency’ is complicated one. Although it is possible to refer loosely to any people who

relied on forest and its products for their livelihood as being to some extent ‘forest-dependent’, this

loose usage blurred fundamental distinctions between different types of relationships. By

presenting a fundamental critique of the use of the term ‘forest-dependency’, Byron and Arnold

(1997) argued that it is more useful to present a typology of different types of users. They crafted a

vital distinction between people who rely on forest use and have to substitute, and those who use

forest products or hold-on in economic activities linking forests, but do so as matter of preference.

Tribals may be consider as the offspring of forests who depending on them for their

subsistence and other economic activities. It is reported that about 60 million indigenous people are

almost totally dependent on forests (Colchester, 2006). Dubois (1996) reported that Amazonian

Indians have been depending on forests, for centuries, for livelihood through shifting cultivation,

hunting, fishing and accumulation of forest products. According to Dembner (1996), Pygmies of

Central African rain forest have traditionally lived by specialising in hunting and gathering wild

forest resources, which they consume themselves or trade to neighbouring farmers. Traditionally,

tribal communities are well-informed about natural resources on which they are closely dependent.

They are considered to be a threat to forest conservation. But, there are instances from different

parts of the world that the tribal forest dwellers apply traditional knowledge and new tools and

techniques in forest management. Over the past few decades, the magnitude of tribals’ Indigenous

Knowledge (IK) in managing natural resources and environment has gained increasing recognition.

Table 1: Forests Contribution ways to Human Livelihood

Forest Contribution Livelihood Pattern

Household Use (Subsistence) Timber, fuelwood, wild foods (plants and animals),

medicinal plants, grazing for animals, forest-based

agriculture, nutrient subsidies for agriculture.

Food Security Depend on forest foods when crops fail to meet seasonal

needs or to provide dietary supplements.

income Generation From sale of any products listed above or sale of

agricultural or livestock production dependent on

forests.

Income from forest-based labour By working in different forest-based works.

Fisher et al., (1997) has acknowledged three broad categories of interactions between

people and forest which may be mention as follows:

i. People who reside inside forests, often living as hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators,

and who are heavily relied on forests for their livelihood on a subsistence basis. People in

this group are often indigenous people or people from ethnic tribal communities. They are,

thus, usually outside the mainstream polity and economy.

ii. People who reside near forests, frequently involved in agriculture outside the forest, which

regularly use forest products partly for their own subsistence functions and partly for

income generation. For those involved in agriculture, nutrient supplements from forests are

often crucial to productivity. Such supplements can be in the form of mulch from leaves

gathered in the forest. Another source of nutrient supplement is forest grazing by livestock

which alters nutrients from forest biomass into manure.

iii. People engaged in mercantile activities as trapping, accumulating minerals or forest

industries such as logging. Such people may part of a mixed subsistence and cash

economy. Distinctness of these people from first two categories may be found from the fact

that they depend on income from forest-dependent labour rather than from direct

subsistence use of forest products. However, it is worthy to note that this type of people-

forest relationship or interaction can exist even in an extremely monetised circumstance.

iv. The forest products obtained by the tribal communities from the study areas have been

grouped as per use and a description of each use type is as below:

Fodder

The major fodder species as enlisted by the Nyishi tribe are takuk-sangney (Gynocardia

odorata) and kulung (wild banana or Musa sp), the former for being palatable, easy to digest and

for its milk enhancing properties and the latter for its easy availability and palatability.

Traditionally, these people leave their animals & livestock for grazing and feeding in the open

areas, Jhum fallows and the community forests. Stall feeding is a phenomenon of very recent past

and is now seen in practise in some private farms. Gynocardia leaves are available only during the

monsoon months, whereas Wild banana is available through out the year. In addition bamboo

foliage also acts as a supplementary fodder. Fodder collection is only for meeting the requirement

of their domestic cattle and has been taken up in the recent past.

Fuelwood

The most preferred species for fuelwood Nyishi is yahak-sangney (Macranga denticulata).

A local species yarphu-sangney (Callicarpa arborea) is also highly preferred for use as fire wood.

These are very light woods, easily combustible, leave less smoke while burning and dry easily. In

addition to these, many inferior wood species are also made use of for fuel wood purposes. The

availability of the same is throughout the year and in addition to meeting their subsistence

requirement; head loads from the Jhum land are also sold in the nearby market. The general rule of

collecting only dry and fallen stems and branches is practised. Wood of other species is also made

use of for burning, depending on the demand and relative availability.

Construction Material

Timber

Yalluk-sangney (Hollock or Terminalia myriocarpa) and sangnyum-sangney (bola or

Morus laevigata) are the two timber yielding species most preferred for use in construction and

repairs of dwelling houses. In the typical long house of the Nyishis, bamboo and roofing leaves of

wild banana are also made use of. As a general understanding among the community members,

timber for domestic use can be taken from the community forest or the Jhum land, irrespective of

the ownership of the Jhum land. Mekhahi (Phoebe cooperiana), taram (Alnus sp) and jutli (Altingia

excelsa) are the other timber yielding species which are also made use of.

Poles

The house of the local are rose normally on stilts and the requirement of poles for the same

is met from the forests. Yahak-sangney (Macranga denticulata) and yarphu-sangney (Callicarpa

arborea) are the more commonly used species for the same. For construction of their long houses,

bamboo also comes in very handy as stilts, struts, purlins and rafters in the same along with the

woody species.

Ropes

Ropes made of locally available bamboo, canes and local species tapetarig are commonly

use for construction works, livestock and other miscellaneous works.

Medicinal Plants

A host of wild flora is used for the traditional medicine of the people of this area. The

plants are made use of in curing diseases and disorders ranging from simple cuts & wounds to

Jaundice. The traditional system is passed by the word of mouth and still a major number of

diseases are being cured in this way. These plants are available in the forest area throughout the

year and their extraction is needs specific. Dhuna resin (Canarium resiniferum) is also used in

households for expelling mosquitoes and is sold in the local markets.

Food

Flora

The wild plants are a major component in the daily dietary consumption of the tribes of the

study area. Though the list may be an exhaustive one and for want of detailed survey on the same, a

few of them enumerated by the people are papua-toh, jonko, rara, babuk, buck-barawa, bamboo

shoots etc. Many among these are eaten either raw or in boiled form for their medicinal value.

Their availability is generally through out the year, with the intermittent seasonal variations. In

addition, variety of tubers, mekahi (Phoebe cooperiana) fruits, mature seeds and fruits of Amoora

walichiana are also made use of for supplementing their diet.

Fauna

Fishing and small game supplements the diet of the villagers. In addition honey is

extracted, based on the availability. The honey from the small bees (Apis florea) is termed ngunya

and that from the bigger ones ngocho (Apis indica). Besides being used as an effective medicinal

supplement, it is also sold in the local market. Honey is available in the months from August to

December. Balam-tapum (a caterpillar), ruik (pupae and frogs) also supplement the diet. A locally

available insect known as tari-pumchii is a cherished delicacy and people may be seen looking for

the same in the river banks and near boulders.

Concerns of Tribal Communities in Relation to Forests

Forests are among the world’s most diverse and most endangered ecosystems on the earth.

In this context, it is imperative to underline some basic concerns which have yet to be truly taken

up for doable forest conservation. Concerns of tribal communities in relation to forests may be

citing as under:

i. The first concern is that forests are not empty. Forests have been inhabited by tribal

communities for hundreds of thousands of years, well before the creation of most of the

modern nation states. Each of those people has a very precise knowledge of the boundaries

of the territory they used, owned and managed.

ii. The second concern is that tribal people hold the rights to those territories by virtue of

being a first settlement. However, these rights are not recognised by most national and state

governments, which declare that forests belong to the state. This legal injustice paves the

way to destruction of forest through government concessions for large scale exploitation.

iii. The third concern is that tribals hold the knowledge about the forest. Evidence of this is

that for centuries they managed to live with the forest while fulfilling all material and

spiritual requirements through adept management. The causes of most present destructive

practices is usually in external pressures on forests from government policies rather than in

tribals’ themselves.

iv. The fourth and the most vital concern regarding the future of forests is that tribals are the

ones more directly involved in their conservation because forests not only ensure their

livelihoods but are an integral part of their ways of life, where respect for nature is at the

nucleus of their culture. They are the “right-holders”, not merely a “stake-holders” and as

such they are the most keen to protect their resources in the long run.

Tribals, thus, constitute a ray of hope for the future of the forests. They have the grip of the

rights and knowledge and their physical and cultural survival relies on ensuring their conservation.

In many instances, tribals are adapting their knowledge to a varying situation, working out and

executing options for sustainable and impartial livelihoods, far away from “sustainable

development” discourse which governments have barred of the sense it originally conceded.

Findings and Discussion

Land Ownership

Land ownership and land-use pattern are important parameters for livelihood studies. Land

ownership for forestry sector shows how the tribal communities are dependent on forest and also its

gives a clue to find out the effective utilisation of forest land. In Table 2 below, it is shown that

total land per capita of the Nyishi tribe was (105.72 decimals). Bangru tribe possess a per capita

land of 62.48 decimals. In case of Puroik per capita land holding is about 42.35 decimals which

was the minimum.

Table 2: Per Capita Land Holdings among the Tribes of the Study Area

Tribe Land Per Capita Land in Decimal

Nyishi 105,72 105.72

Bangru 62,48 62.48

Puroik 42,35 42.35

Land-Use in Different Categories

The per capita land by land-use type owned by the three tribes of Kurung Kumey district

is shown in Table 3 below. Among Nyishis, per capita land holdings under forestry, agriculture

and homestead were 83.24 decimals, 46.05 decimals and 15.38 decimals respectively. Though the

amount of forest land per capita is highest among Nyishi, yet the income from forestry was not

that maximum. It indicates the unproductive use of forest land. Among Bangrus, per capita land

holdings under forestry were 47.00 decimals, 37.95 decimals under agriculture and small amount

of 8.25 decimals owned under homestead. Yet, the share of forestry in their income was highest

amongst the three tribes, which means they are productive user of forest land. In case of Puroiks,

per capita lands possession under forestry was 36.78 decimals, 18.05 decimals under agriculture

and 2.35 decimals under homstead.

Table 3: Analysis of Per Capita Land Ownership by Land-Use Types among the Tribes of

the Study Areas

Land-Use Type Per Capita Holdings by Tribes (in Decimal)

Nyishi Bangru Puroik

Forestry 83.24 47.00 36.78

Agriculture 46.05 37.95 18.05

Homestead 15.38 8.25 2.35

Income Analysis

To find out the livelihood pattern, income and sources of income from each of the three

tribes data has been interpreted. Income per capita and per family are compared and contribution of

each sources of income is provided. The following Table 4 shows the per capita income of three

tribes of Kurung Kumey district. The highest per capita income was among Nyishis which was Rs.

18, 545.25 per annum and minimum was found among Puroiks which was Rs. 6,575. It was also

observed that among the Nyishis, more family members were involved in income generating

activities.

Table 4: Per Capita Income of the Tribes of the Study Area

Tribe Per Capita Income (in Rupees)

Nyishi 18,545.25

Bangru 12,685

Puroik 6,575

An analysis of the family income by the respondent households’ (in Table 5) shows that

highest family income in the study area was found in Nyishi families i.e., Rs.17,000 per annum and

minimum in Puroik families i.e., Rs. 8,000 per annum. Household with high involvement in

different income generating activities generated more income. Nyishi family members were found

to be much more involved in different activities among the three tribes in the district.

Table 5: Per Family Income of the Tribes of the Study Area

Tribe Per Capita Income (in Rupees)

Nyishi 17,000

Bangru 14,700

Puroik 8,000

Sources of Income of the Tribal Communities

In the following figure (Figure 1), the percentage of the sources of income of Nyishi tribe is

given. Results show that maximum income was derived from agriculture (58%) and minimum from

service (2%). On the other hand, 25% income was generated from business and 15% was from

forestry activities. 50% people were earning member in the 10 families in the Nyishi tribe.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Sources

of

Income

Agriculture

Service

Business

Forestry

Fig.1: Sources of Income Distribution of Nyishi Tribe

In the case of Bangru tribe, it was found that income was generated from agriculture and

service which were 53% and 15% respectively. From forestry activities 21% monetary income was

received and a 22% was received from business (details in Fig. 2). 21 out of 47 family members in

10 families were working membrs.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Sources

of

Income

in %

Agriculture

Service

Business

Forestry

Fig. 2: Sources of Income Distribution of Bangru Tribe

The maximum percentage of income of Puroik tribe (in Fig. 3) is generated from forestry

(65%) and and minimal percentage of income from service (2%). About 23% and 10% of the

income is generated from agriculture and business respectively. About 27% people of the Puroiks

contributed monetary support to their families.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Sources

of

Income

in %

Agriculture

Service

Business

Forestry

Fig. 3: Sources of Income Distribution of Puroik Tribe

Overall Analysis of the Sources of Income of the Tribes

The analysis of all sources of income for these three tribal communities is shown Fig. 4.

The figure also shows the contribution of each source of income to the families of these tribal

groups. It shows that Nyishi and Bangru tribes are more dependent on agriculture different types of

services. Puroik tribe is heavily dependent on forest (65%).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Nyishi Bangru Puroik

Agriculture

Service

Business

Forestry

Fig. 4: Analysis of the Sources of Income of Three Tribes of Kurung Kumey District

Forest as a Source of Income for Tribes

Though there is variation in the resources utilisation, but each tribal group is dependent on

forest resources in the study areas. Per capita and per family income from forestry practice, forest

products and share of forest contribution have been calculated for each tribe as follows. In the

study area among the three tribes, the highest per family income from forestry practice and forest

products (Fig. 5) was gained by Puroik (Rs. 7,000 per annum) and the lowest per family income

from forestry and forest products was by Nyishi (Rs. 2,700 per annum). Per family income of

Bangru was Rs. 4,250 per annum. The highest per capita annual income from forestry practice and

forest products was also found among the Puroiks (Rs. 3,945) and lowest per capita annual income

was observed among the Bangrus (Rs. 1,730). It was also observed that per capita annual income

from forestry practice and forest products among Nyishis was Rs. 2,365.

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Nyishi Bangru Puroik

Per Family Income in

Rs.

Fig. 5: Annual Family Income of the Tribes of Kurung Kumey District from Forestry Practice and

Products

From the given below figure (Fig. 6), it was observed that total per capita income both

forestry and all sectors was high in Nyishi tribe and it also contribute more in total per capita

income. Puroik tribe has the highest per capita income in forestry sector as compare to Nyishis and

Bangrus.

0.00

5,000.00

10,000.00

15,000.00

20,000.00

25,000.00

Nyishi Bangru Puroik

Total Per Capita

Income of all Sectors

in Rs.

Fig. 6: Analysis of Per Capita Income on all Sectors of the Tribes of Kurung Kumey District

Distribution of share of forestry activities in average per capita income of three tribes of

Kurung Kumey district shows that the maximum share (65%) of forestry was in Puroik tribe

followed by Bangru (21%) and Nyishi (15%). This indicates that Puroik tribe is comparatively

depending more on forestry practice and forest products for their livelihood.

Reliance on Forest

Following table shows the distribution of reliance on forest among the three tribes of

Kurung Kumey district based on the number of person engaged in diverse forest based activities.

From the outcome it was found that, Puroiks were comparatively much more dependent on forest

in every aspect. For instance, they depend on forest for their housing materials (97.05%), livestock

grazing or gathering fodder (71.46%), gathering fuelwood (100%) and medicinal purpose

(83.37%). Reason for such huge dependent is because Puroiks’ settlement areas are found in such a

remote and inaccessible location that the modern-day facilities like building materials, medicines,

etc. are unable to reach their settlement area. Whereas, both Nyishi and Bangru settlement areas are

found in accessible locations where some building materials like cements, CGI sheets and modern

medicines could very easily brought from nearby towns.

Table 6: Analysis of Forest Dependence of the Tribes of Kurung Kumey District Based on the

Number of Persons Engaged in Diverse Forest Based Activities

Tribes

Persons Engaged in Diverse Forest Based Activities (in %)

Housing

Materials

Livestock Grazing

/Gathering Fodder

Gathering

Fuelwood

Medicinal

Purpose

Nyishi 82.63 35.85 96.33 23.17

Bangru 89.11 53. 26 98.02 46.72

Puroik 97.05 71.46 100 83.37

Food Reliance

Food, an important parameter for community livelihood assessment is as much as vital for

tribal communities of Kurung Kumey district. Among the three tribes of the district, those who

were dependent on food with respect to agricultural practice and marketing, the maximum

percentages were found in Nyishi (34.78%) and Bangru (39.56%). The Bangrus are mostly

dependent on market because they abandoned their agricultural cultivations since 2009 due to rat

menace triggered by the bamboo flowering.

Table 7: Analysis of Food Reliance of the Tribes in the Study Area

Tribes

Patterns of Food Reliance (in %)

Market Family Agriculture Both

Nyishi 18.06 34.78 47.16

Bangru 39.56 21.43 39.01

Puroik 11.26 25.25 63.49

Miscellaneous Findings

Six houses out of thirty (20%) was pucca or semi-pucca, while other 24 (80%) houses were

built of bamboos, wooden planks and wavy CGI sheets. Most of the households especially belong

to Puroik community, uses traditional hearth for cooking where fuelwood and residues are used;

while some Nyishis and Bangrus found to be using LPG cylinder for fast cooking along with the

traditional hearth. Almost every household of all the three tribes found to be collect fuelwood from

nearby forests for their domestic use. It was astonished to note that almost all the households don’t

have toilets having sanitary latrine barring few households those having sanitary latrine by their

own. It is also found that all the respondents belong to three tribes were a permanent resident of

their villages, meaning they haven’t migrated from any other places.

Conclusion

This modest but substantial study has offers a broad idea of the life, standard of living and

land-use pattern of the tribal societies of Kurung Kumey district in Arunachal Pradesh. A precise

account about their dependence on forest is also depicted. With this study, it is observed that role of

Government officials to the tribals are sometimes contradictory. Besides, Government is

regrettably dormant for motivating any development strategy in the study areas. Tribal

communities are not actively involved with any kind of practice with Government departments and

their officials, although few Panchayat leaders are involved. No any participatory appraisal scheme

is running over there in the study areas. There are some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)

and few women Self Help Groups (SHGs), who are functioning intermittently with a short term

vision for the welfare of the people. An amalgamated development plan is supposed to play a

crucial role for the development of these tribals. Government’s development agencies like District

Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Rural Work Department (RWD), Public Work Department

(PWD), Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), and department of Water Resource

Development (WRD) needs to actively involved the people in their participatory projects and co-

management activities. Literally speaking, the tribal people have got the top precedence to be

incorporated as participatory stakeholders of the forest, but they still lack of real access to the

participatory forest management. Tribal communities in Arunachal Pradesh as a whole and of

Kurung Kumey district in particular can no longer be walked over, as has been always the case.

The findings of this humble research study may facilitate to illuminate assured development policy

for the well-being of the tribals. The study is comparative in nature, the outcomes establish through

this study can be held as identical to the large scale study.

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