Authors: G.Ranganathan, Dr.C.Mohamed Faheem
Abstract: Tribal women underpin indigenous economies in India, yet their contributions have often remained informal and undervalued. In the Jawadhu Hills tribal corridor of northern Tamil Nadu (Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, and Vellore), Malayali tribal women have historically sustained rain-fed millet cultivation (samai and thenai), seed preservation, food processing, livestock rearing, and minor forest produce-based livelihoods (e.g., wild honey, gall nuts, tamarind), alongside ecological stewardship and indigenous medicinal practices; however, exclusion from formal banking and institutional credit has constrained economic autonomy beyond subsistence. This study aimed to examine how global gender parity standards, particularly the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index (2023)—which reports India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap despite persistent rural/tribal disparities—align with and are operationalized through convergent policy interventions to enhance women’s economic agency in the Jawadhu Hills. Using a qualitative policy-analytical design based on secondary data, the study reviewed nine institutional and policy documents, budget reports, credit portals, and media case studies, and mapped local empowerment outcomes to the Index’s four pillars while conceptualizing a Triple-Engine Growth Model comprising Social Security, Asset Creation, and Industrial Scaling. Synthesis across Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), TAHDCO, NABARD Wadi, Mahalir Thittam self-help groups, and Stand Up India indicates that baseline income security and digital inclusion (including 100% banking and Aadhaar integration via TNeGA) reduce livelihood risk, while asset-building through land and horticulture strengthens eligibility and productive capacity; institutional credit at scale (₹10 lakhs–₹1 crore) enables a shift toward value-added agro-entrepreneurship. The Performance Budget 2024–25 further catalyzes this transition through investments in tribal residential school infrastructure, fellowships, and farm-to-market roads, reinforcing intergenerational capability and market access. Overall, policy convergence supports a culturally continuous pathway of “modernization by enhancement,” suggesting a replicable blueprint for inclusive tribal development that links cash transfers with asset creation, embeds digital literacy in welfare delivery, and scales cultural-ecological assets such as organic millet and forest produce within a green economy framework.
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