Paper Title
Natural Resource Exploitation, Laws and Tribal Conflicts in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand: A Socio-Legal Analysis.

Abstract
Natural resources are meant for the survival and development of all life forms. Both local and global progress depend on supply of land,forest, and minerals. Resources are deposits created inside the earth by various geologicalevents over millions of years. Ununiform and skewed distribution of resources gives rise to demand– supply and conflicts.Often, the resource rich regions are the engine of socio -economic growth. Every country wants a larger share in the resources and enact several lawsfor ownership and control. Interestingly, the resource richregions in India are situated insome of the poorer regions inhabited by some of the most deprived tribal/indigenous peoples. West Singhbhum in Jharkhand also presents that paradox of poverty amidst plenty of forest and mineral resources inhabited by a sizeable tribal population dominated by Ho and others.They are governed under various statutory and customary laws. The exploitation of the resources by the state, corporates on the one hand and tribal resistance/ assertation of rights have given rise to conflicts. Based on fieldwork,the paper, provides a first-hand insight into ongoingconflicts on land,forest,mining, and tribal governance and shows the way out for a just social order.