DEMOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF POVERTY IN TRIBAL HOUSEHOLDS

This paper examines the demographic correlates of poverty in about 500 households of the Marati, Malekudiya and the Koraga tribes in the Dak shina Kannada district of Karnataka. Overall, 49 per cent of tribal ho useholds are in poverty with a household income of less than Rs. 6,500 p.a. Less than half of these households or 22 per cent are very poor with an income of less than Rs. 4,500 p.a. About 1.8 per cent of house holds do not get 'two adequate meals a day' throughout the year, while another 66 per cent experience much food shortage during some months of The year. Poor households have smaller household size, younger head s of households and consist predominantly of simple families. Females, relative to males, are more in the poor and the female headed househo lds. Though work participation is higher in the poor than the non-poor households, the differences are less among females. School attendance among girls and literacy levels are generally higher in the non-poor than the poor households. In terms of literacy level these tribes refl ect the cultural pattern in Dakshina Kannada than that of the tribes e lsewhere in the state.