Mining, Development, Armed Conflicts and Disasters: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

The Maoist belt in India is a conflict zone layered with the complexities of socio-economic vulnerabilities of the communities, industrial interests of the national and state economies and the rise of militancy in opposition to the government. Chhattisgarh is one such state plagued by decades of armed conflict between the Maoist groups and the government at various levels. Caught in the crossfire between these two entities, the Adivasi and the indigenous Dalit communities are left exploited and marginalised. The origins of this conflict, however, can be traced back to the planned mining activity initiated by the newly Independent India in an effort to stimulate economic growth through industrial production. Over decades, the exploitative practices supplemented by economic policies have led to large-scale displacement of the local communities, forcing them into Maoist militancy and ultimately leaving them the worst off.