British Broadcasting Corporation
India tribal woman India's tribal people have long complained of mistreatment
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told chief ministers from 29 Indian states to end exploitation of tribal people.
Speaking at a conference in Delhi, Mr Singh said there had been a "systematic failure" to give tribal people a stake in India's modern economy.
He said this was fomenting discontent, making them vulnerable to Maoists.
The fight with Maoist rebels, India's biggest security threat, is being lost, the PM says. The rebels say they are fighting for rights for the rural poor.
More than 6,000 people have been killed during their 20-year struggle for a communist state.
'Economic abuse'
Tribal people often face discrimination from government and local officials in India.
Mr Singh said indigenous groups, who live mainly in forests, were not taken into account when considering the development of these areas.
"There has been a systematic failure in giving the tribals a stake in the modern economic processes that inexorably intrude into their living spaces," he told the conference of chief ministers and state ministers of tribal affairs.
"The alienation built over decades is now taking a dangerous turn in some parts of our country. The systematic exploitation and social and economic abuse of our tribal communities can no longer be tolerated."
Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh Maoists have a presence in a third of India's districts
Mr Singh said there had to be a more inclusive policy that respected the culture of each tribe.
"The state should endeavour to give a healing touch to the tribal communities.
"Their integration into the development processes is highly important. But this should not become a means of exploitation or be at the cost of their unique identity and their culture," he said.
The prime minister also sent an apparent message to the Maoists, saying "no sustained activity is possible under the shadow of the gun".
"Nor have those who claim to speak for the tribals offered an alternate economic path that is viable."
The Maoist insurgency started in 1967 and has spread to cover a third of India's districts, forming a so-called "red corridor" in mainly central areas.
Mr Singh said India had to win the battle for tribal people's hearts.
"It cannot be said that we dealt sensitively with these issues in the past. More could be done and more should be done."
Print Sponsor
video 'Coma' man conscious for years
video Iraq War Inquiry
video Army 'dissent' over West Bank role
video Susan Boyle is mobbed in New York
video Queen set for Bermuda visit
video How SA's poor get free electricity
video Slavoj Zizek: Communism "a total failure"
video One-minute World News
video Latest video games reviewed
video Clinton urges new Mid-East talks
Chimneys silhouetted against the sun
Warming globeSoldiers carrying one of the victims
Clan rivalriesMuslim women in Berlin - file pic
Hewitt on EuropeMost Popular Now | 97,471 people are reading stories on the site right now.
Quantcast
BBC © MMIX
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.watch One-Minute World News