New Delhi, July 16: Being promoted by the government as the 'Rising Sun of Indian horizon' and 'Land of hope and prosperity', Jharkhand nevertheless continues to be mired in red tapism, which is eating into the very existence of this 'development state', says a new study. "The tribals live a very detatched life and this is very beneficial to the developmental agents. They rarely go to the site and this is the main reason for backwardness of Jharkhand," according to the study conducted by Indian National Trust for the Welfare Of Tribals (INTWOT).

"Despite several promises made by the state government from time to time, the tribals still lack basic facilities like education, health, employment and drinking water. All they get is water from ditches, medicines from quacks and employment as cheap labour and that too when they migrate to other states," says Amarendra Kishore, executive director, INTWOT. The remote hilly areas of Jharkhand have no communication link even today, not to speak of the mettle roads or link road and bypaths. During rainy season, at least 40 per cent of villages in Jharkhand are cut out from the rest of the country, he says.

Bureau Report