Minister: Efforts on to end 'doli' woes of tribal population

Politics Politics of India

Posted by AI on 2025-08-22 07:34:40 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-26 03:17:38

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Tribal welfare minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani has assured that efforts are being made to eradicate the controversial "doli" practice, which sees tribal women widowed by the custom forced to marry their brother-in-laws. Speaking after a meeting with officials of the tribal welfare department, Rani claimed that the government is striving to improve the living standards of tribal people, adding that several schemes are underway to achieve this goal. "Besides implementing the customary laws, the tribal welfare department is making concentrated efforts to educate the tribal people on the

constitutionally-enshrined personal laws."

The controversial "doli" practice, which translates to "widow's house" in Telugu, is just one of many harmful traditions impacting tribal women in India. In this custom, a married woman becomes a social outcast in her natal home if her husband dies. Often, the woman is forced to marry her husband's brother - a custom popularly dubbed as "fraternal polyandry" - and move in with his family. These women are then expected to care for their late husband's family and often become subject to frequent abuse and forced to toil for household work. While this practice has been banned in some states, it has also sparked debates about how to address the custom while still supporting the millions of tribal people across India.

Despite the government's new efforts, tribal people, including women, continue to face discrimination and struggle to access basic resources and opportunities, indicating that there is still much work to be done.

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