A Study on Land Access Issues and Livelihoods of Tribal Peoples in the Context of Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam, India

Abstract

Land access is crucial to the well-being of the poorest. The land is a precious asset for the rural and urban poor; it is required for economic activity, poverty reduction, sustainable development, and household well-being. It is also associated with identity, particularly for tribal communities. Land access refers to the ability to utilise, administer, transfer, benefit from resources, and with people's ability to obtain a living in consideration. However, inaccessibility is an inequality limiting people's and households' capacity to connect a livelihood. It is uncertain if the land issue is still relevant and active today and whether it is a legitimate grievance in the Assam of India. Thus, the land is at the heart of many concerns in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam and an efficient means of communication among its residents, particularly tribal peoples. On the other hand, equal land access will help the least fortunate and is expected to relieve pressure from land area induced dearth. The research focused on the opportunities for tribal people to access and utilise land, discriminating persons who are completely landless or have limited, insufficient, and insecure access to land and for who land access is important for life or livelihood. It aims to identify land issues and linkages that cause tribes in the region to be concerned, as well as to discuss and offer recommendations on actions and land complexity. The study depicted the majority of the important processes that culminated in tribals' uneasiness and discontent over land. In contrast, it examines the impacts of policy and programmatic activities on the processes and incentives for tribal groups in the region to access land and land concerns that are inextricably linked to the contentious definition.

Keywords: Land Access, Livelihoods