Nomadic communities have their presence in across of India and south Asian societies. Post-independent nation state, has initiated numerous policies in order to address the social groups which are away from mainstream development discourse. In the process government of India has appointed Dr Renke commission to identify these groups and suggest required policy guidelines for their inclusion in the development process. The terms ‘livelihoods’ and ‘development’ have different nuanced meanings in different societies and people; more so in the case of South Asian societies. Development implies a better quality of life and livelihood, and better access to assets and services to marginal communities – particularly the Semi-nomadic community, women and other communities. Developing its theoretical framework around the existing literature on poverty, inequality, marginality, development, civil society, NGOs and livelihood, this paper argues that prevailing factional politics and apathy of the governing agency are preventing the marginalised group(s) in adequately benefitting from the developmental interventions. The present study is basically a qualitative micro-level study aims at understanding the livelihood systems of a tribe, Sugali, the semi-nomadic community inhabiting in Anantapuram district of Andhra Pradesh, south India. Further, the paper also focuses on different trends and shifts involved in their livelihood processes. Keeping in view of the above, an empirical study was conducted in a Sugali village, in Andhra Pradesh, south India, in order to capture the existing situation. On the basis of above argument, the paper has sought to raise some pertinent policy questions in relation to existing policies and also vividly focusses on the report of the DNT& SNT commissions, their progress in order to benefit the nomadic communities of Andhra Pradesh in general and Sugali community in particular.
