Synopsis In spite of all the attention that has been given to development from all quarters, it just can not be taken as a panacea. This is particularly so in the case of development of tribals. But there could have been better prospect for tribal development in India because of more opportunities for community participation in the tribal sphere. After all, sustenance of human development depends a lot on community participation. The present exercise based on a study sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and concentrated on three tribal groups of undivided Midnapore district of West Bengal seeks to take a critical view of the lop-sided nature of tribal development.