Abstract

The region as well as the Kolam community has a unique character and pattern of responses to any of the studies and development program me undertaken so far. Our studies have concluded that the usual temptation of generalizing the issues of all the communities as one has led to further marginalization of small tribal communities such as Kolam. Thus there is a need to consider the requirement of such specific tribes and modify any development intervention accordingly to achieve maximum results for ensuring the existence of the tribe itself. Coming back to from where we began the million dollar question is for whose progress are the MDGs for? A report on the status of MDGs in different countries by UNDP 2004 states that with only a decade left to achieve the MDGs India not even half way through the set goals as far as reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates are concerned. Human Development Report 2005 too reasserts India's health state. And according to a recent study report in Lancet the MDG's would be achieved even if the indigenous population was left where it was on the development scale. So do the governments really care for the most marginalized and threatened communities.