Not only are the various tribal communities scattered all over India, they also represent different racial and linguistic stocks and are at different levels of economic and technological development. Several changes have occurred to them with the spread of education and other programmes of development initiated by the Government of independent India. The book showcases the historical trajectories and the trends of development experienced by the Scheduled Tribes of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha in eastern India. The book delves into the state of the art on the concepts and the theories on marginalized in general and tribes in India in particular. The book is based on an empirical study on socio-economic, cultural profile and the life style of the tribals in the study area and the popular perceptions on the impact of various legislations and regulations enacted for tribal development. It also focuses on the structure and processes of the administrative system for tribal development. The book targets the students, teachers, policy makers and researchers interested in the study of tribal development and disadvantaged sections of the society from the different disciplines.