The Scheduled Tribes

The second largest group of the backward classes of the unprivileged section consists of

about 7.42 crores of Scheduled Tribes who constitute 8.8 of the total population (1991

Census Report). The Scheduled Tribes, generally called tribal people, survived with their

unchanging ways of life for centuries. The tribal people were the earliest among the

present inhabitants of India. They are still in primitive stage and are far from the impact

of modern civilization. They live in the forest areas, hilly regions, mountainous places

and deep valleys. They are known by various names such as primitive tribes, animists,

jungle people, 'adivasis', aboriginals. original inhabitants of India and so on. Dr. Das and

Das have referred to them as "submerged humanity". Gandhiji called them 'Girijans'.

The Constitution of India has referred to them as the "Scheduled Tribes".

The Scheduled Tribes are in majority in more than 329 Talukas. On the basis of 50%

ofthe Scheduled Tribes population, areas have been identified in the country. In such

areas more than 65% of their total population lives. It means that the tribal people are the

dominant groups in some areas. In Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and

Mizoram, majority of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribes. They are found in

relatively large numbers in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar Assam and Uttar Pradesh. In

Madhya Pradesh alone more than one crore tribals arB found. According to the

Scheduled Tribe Lists Modification Order I 956, there are 414 different tribes in the

various States of India.

Definition and Distribution of Scheduled Tribes

The term 'Tribe' is nowhere defined in the Constitution and, in fact, there is no

satisfactory definition for the same. To the ordinary man, the word 'tribe' suggests simple

folk living in hi11s and forests; to people who are

a little better informed, it signifies a corourful people famous for their dance and song.

Reference in the Constitution

Though the Indian Constitution has not defined clearly the term' tribe', Article 336 (25) of

the Constitution says that Scheduled Tribes are the tribes or tribal communities or parts of

groups within such tribes or tribal communities which the Indian President may specify

by public notification under Article 342 (1).

However, the term 'tribe' has been defined by various thinkers and writers in differel'ft

ways. One or two definitions may be cited here.

1) Dr. D.N. Majumdar: A Scheduled Tribe refers to "a collection of families or groups of

families, bearing a common name, members which occupy the same territory, speak the

same language and observe certain taboos regarding marriage, profession or occupation

and have developed as well as assessed a system of reciprocity and mutuality of

obligations.

2) Imperial Gazetteer of India: A tribe is a collection of families bearing a common

name, speaking a common dialect, occupying or professing to occupy a common territory

and is not usually endogamous, though originally it might have been so" .

3) Gillin and Gillin: "Atribe is a group of local communities which lives in

a common area, speaks a common dialect and follows common culture."

Tribal Problems

The tribals of India are faced with a number of problems among which the following may be noted:

1)The Problem of Geographic Separation

The tribals of India are in a way geographically separated from the rest of population.

Some of them are living in the unapproachable physical area such as deep valleys, dense

forests, hills, mountains, etc. It is difficult for them to establish relations with others, and

hence, socially they are far away from the civilized world. This kind of physical as well

as social isolation or seclusion has contributed to various other problems.

2) Cultural Problems

The tribal culture is entirely different from the way of life of the civilized people. The

tribals fail to understand the civilized people, their customs and practices, beliefs and

attitudes and so on. They are suspicious towards the civilized people. They are clinging

tenaciously to their customs and traditions. During the British rule some foreign Christian

missionaries made an attempt to propagate their religion in some of the tribal areas,

particularly in the North-Eastern provinces. They even tried to impose their culture on

them. Even today such an attempt is going on. On the other hand, the Ramakrishna

Mission, R.S.S., the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other organizations are spreading the

Hinduism in these areas. Some of the tribal leaders have now started popularizing the

tribal religion. These different propagandas have created a great confusion for them. The

cultural gap between the civilized and the tribal people is coming in the way of the

assimilation and integration of the tribal people into the mainstream of the national life of

India.

Social Problems

The tribals have their own social problems also. They are traditional and custom-bound.

They have become the victims of superstitious beliefs, outmoded and meaningless

practices and harmful habits. Child marriage, infanticide, homicide, animal sacrifice,

exchange of wives, black magic and other harmful practices are still found among them.

They believe in ghosts and spirits. They have a keen desire to maintain all these practices

in general, and their individual tribal character. Hence it is said that "the tribals are the

tribesmen first, the tribesmen last and the tribes all the time'.

3) Economic Problems

The tribal people are economically the poorest people of India. Majority of them live

below the poverty line. The tribal economy is based on agriculture of the crudest type.

The main economic problems of the tribals are explained below.

i) Exploitation - The innocence, illiteracy and helplessness of the tribals are exploited by

the outsiders. The British policy, in particular, had led to ruthless exploitation of the

tribals in various ways as it favoured the zamindars, landlords, money-lenders, forest

contractors and excise, revenue and police officials.

ii) Unprofitable Agriculture - About 90% of the tribals are engaged in cultivation. The

tribals possess uneconomic holdings because of which their crop yield is very less. A

very small percentage of the population participates in occupational activities in the

secondary and tertiary sectors.

iii) Problems of land ownership- A good portion of the land in the tribal areas has been

legally transferred to non-tribals. Tribals demand that this land should be returned to

them. In fact, the tribals had earlier enjoyed much freedom to use the forest and hunt their

animals. They are emotionally attached to the forests for they believe that their gods and

spirits live in forests. The tribals who are "deprived" of their rights to the land and forest

have reacted sharply to the restrictions imposed by the government on their traditional

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rights.

iv) Unemployment and Underemployment - A large number of tribal young men and

women are unemployed. They are unhappy for they are not able to get jobs that can keep

them occupied throughout the year. They need to be helped in finding secondary source

of income by developing animal husbandry, poultry farming, handicrafts, handloom

weaving etc.

v) Non-Availability of Banking Facilities- Banking facilities in the tribal areas are so

inadequate that the tribals have mainly to depend on the money lenders. The tribals,

therefore, demand that 'Agricultural Indebtness Relief Acts" should be enacted so that

they may get back their mortgaged land.

4) Educational Problems

Liliteracy is a major problem of the tribals. More than 80% of them are illiterate. Literacy

among them has increased from 0.7% in 1931 to 11.30% in 1970 and to 16.35 in 1981.

This shows more than % of the tribals are illetrate. They have no faith in formal

educational organization. Many of them do not know any thing about education, schools,

colleges, universities, degrees, etc. They feel no urge to educate their children. Since

most of the tribals are poor, education appears to be a luxury for them. In the case of

those people who are engaged in agriculture, their minor children are also engaged in it.

The illiterate parents do not consider it as their primary responsibility to give education to

their children.

The Problem of Language-The medium of instruction is another

hindrance to the promotion of education among the tribes. Most of the tribal

languages do not have a script of their own. Hence the children are obliged to learn

things in a language which is foreign to them. Even in tribal areas the number of

tribal teachers is very less and hence communication problem always arises

between the students and the teachers.

The curriculum of education is another main problem- The existing curriculum, as

experts rightly have pointed out, is not suited and has little relevance to the tribal

people.

5) Problem of Health and Sanitation

Due to illiteracy and ignorance the tribals are not able to appreciate modern concept of

health and sanitation. They do not take much care pertaining to their own health. They

believe that diseases are caused by hostile spirits and ghosts. They have their own

traditional means of cure. Good number of them fall a prey to the diseases such as skin

disease, forest fever, typhoid, T.B., leprosy, malaria, veneral diseases small pox, etc.

6) Problem of Separatism

The "divide and rule" policy adopted by the British did a lot of damage to the tribal

community of India. The British had superimposed their own administrative pattern in

tribal areas and deprived the tribals of their traditional methods of interacting with people.

The "Criminal Tribes Act" which the British had introduced gave an impression that the

tribals were either "criminals" or 'anti-social beings". The tribal groups such as Kolis,

Mundas, Khasis, Santals, Naga etc, who fought against the British were branded as

"dacoits" and "robbers". These activities which went on for more than 200 years,

alienated many of the tribals and developed in them separatist tendencies.

Measures for the Upliftment of Scheduled Tribes

Independent India has been paying due attention to the problems of the scheduled tribes

and attempts are being made to deal effectively with those problems. Before the

independence, the British Government was only discussing the issues of tribal

development and practically did nothing either to face them or to solve them. The only

thing the British did was that, they kept the tribals away from the contact of the civilized

15

people. Through their ''policy of indirect rule"they wanted to protect them from the

neighbouring dominant communities.

Tribal Welfare Activities

The tribals constitute a sizeable proportion (8.8%) of the total population of India. The

tribals are also the citizens of India and hence promotion of their welfare is of equal

importance. Not only have the Central and the State Governments undertaken various

steps in this regard, but also various voluntary organisations have evinced interest in this

task. Orgainsations such as the Bharatiya A dim Jati Sevak Sangh, the Bhil Seva MandaI,

The Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, the Indian Red Cross Society, the Vishwa

Hindu Parishad, The Ramakrishna Mission, The Rashtreeya Swayam Sevak Sangh, etc.,

carry on welfare activities among the tribals. The Government through its Department of

Tribal Welfare and through its Five-Year Plans has been trying to elevate the tribals from

the state of ignorance, illiteracy and poverty. Some of the tribal welfare measures of the

Government may be examined here.

1)Constitutional Safeguards

The Constitution of India has made various provisions to safeguard the interests of the tribals.

1) Article 15 of the Constitution provides equal rights and opportunities to all the

citizens of India (including the tribals) without any discrimination.

2) Reservation in employment is made for the tribals under Article 16(4), 320(4) and 335.

3) Seats have been reserved for them in the legislatures (in Lok Sabha

and State Vidhana Sabhas) under Articles 330, 332 and 334.

4) Under Article 19(5) the tribals can own property and enjoy it in any part of the country.

5) According to the Article 275 a large amount of money can be taken from the

'Consolidated Fund of India to be spent on tribal welfare activities.

6) Article 338 empowers the President of India to appoint a Commissioner to look

after- the tribal welfare activities.

7) Under Article 339(2) the Central Government can give directions to the States in

the formulation and execution of tribal welfare plans, projects and programmes.

8) Under Article 275(i) the Centre is required to give grants-in-aid to the States for

approved schemes of tribal welfare.

9) Article 164 empowers the State Governments to appoint a separate minister to look

into the welfare of the tribals.

10) Article 46 consists of provisions that protect the economic and educational interests of the

tribals.

11) Article 224 gives instructions to the administration to take special care to protect

tribal interests in "Scheduled Tracts" or "areas".

12) Article 342 gives power to the President of India to declare on the recommendation

of the Governor some groups or communities as "scheduled tribes". It also gives

details on the basis of which new groups could be recommended as "scheduled

tribes" entitling them for 'all the constitutional benefits.

2)Economic Programmes and Facilities

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Majority of the tribals are extremely poor and economically backward. Various economic

programmes and projects have been undertaken to improve their economic position.

1) Development through Five-Year Plan - The Government spent Rs. 30 crores, Rs.

80 crores, Rs. 101 crores, Rs. 172 crores and Rs.257 crores on tribal welfare activities

during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Five-Year Plans respectively.

2) Establishment of "LAMPS" - Large-sized Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies:

These co-operative societies are established in the tribal areas for giving productive and

unproductive loans, for sale of surplus and purchase of necessities of life to the tribal

people. Through these societies the tribals are supplied with improved seeds, modem

agricultural equipments, chemicals and fertilizers, pesticides, etc. These societies are

striving to relieve the tribals from the exploitation of middlemen, contractors and money-

lenders.

3) The 20-point programme focused its attention on the development of the

scheduled tribes, including assisting the tribal families economically to enable them to

cross the poverty line.

4) Encouragement to Crafts and Home Industries - Encouragement is given to the

existing crafts and home industries among the tribals and such new endeavours are

also encouraged.

5) Agriculture made Stable - The tribals are persuaded to give up their system of

"shifting cultivation" and to settle permanently in a place of their selection by making

agriculture their profession. Thousands of tribals in Assam, Bihar, M.P., Orissa and

Tripura, have been made to settle down permanently for agriculture. Thodas of

Niligiri Hills and Soligas of Biligiri Rangana Hills in Mysore provide two other

examples in this regard.

6) Promotion of Labour Interests of Tribals engaged in Mining Industry and Tea

Plantations - Attempts have been made to protect the labour interests of the tribals in

Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa who are engaged in mining industry

and of the tribals such as Santals, Gonds, Khondas and others who are working in tea

plantations of Assam.

3) Educational Facilities

Measures to provide educational facilities to the S,T. have been taken by the Government.

Schools are established in some tribal areas. In the first Five-Year Plan itself about 4000

schools were opened in the tribal areas: Education upto 10th standard has been made

completely free for them. The students belonging to S.T. are getting various concessions

such as free tuition, stipends, scholarships, free supply of text books, stationery and other

equipments. In some places mid-day meals are also supplied. Free boarding and lodging

facilities are provided for them, For the S.T. and S.C" 20% of the seats are reserved in

technical education and relaxation is made in respect of age limit and qualifying marks.

There are Ashrama Schools for providing basic education and vocation training for

S,T. In these schools education and training is given in areas such as agriculture,

forestry, animal husbandry, poultry farming, bee keeping, handicrafts, etc, There are

600 Ashrama Schools of residential character situated in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,

Himacha1 Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tripura.

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Pre-Examination Training Centres for S.C. and S. T. are established in some places to

help them to appear for UPSC Examinations - (IA.S. and IP.S. Examinations).

4) Medical Facilities

Various medical facilities have been provided for the tribals in the tribal areas. In some

places, hospitals are established and in many places mobile hospital facilities have been

provided. Many pre\(entive and curative measures to combat diseases like malaria,

leprosy, forest fever, monkey fever, typhoid, small pox, skin diseases etc. are undertaken.

Medical camps are organised in the tribal areas to enable the tribals to realize the

importance of modern medical facilities.

5) Research Work into the Problems of the Tribals

Tribal Research Institutes, which undertake intensive studies of tribal arts, culture and

customs and problems, have been set up in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat,

Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, U.P., Rajashan and West Bengal. The

research work done in this field has thrown light on the tribal life and problems,

6) Role of Voluntary Organisations

The tribal welfare is not the concern of the government alone. Private organisations and

individuals interested in the task of tribal upliftment must also be given due

encouragement in this regard. Takkar Bapu

18

and Gandhiji have shown that individuals and voluntary organisations

with social commitment can do a lot for the welfare of tribals.

Organisations such as - Sri Ramakrishna Mission. Vanavasi

Kalyanashrama. the Rashtreeya Swayam Sevaka Sangha and a number

of Christian Missionary Organisations are already working in the field.

Such organisations can help the tribals to develop better interaction with

the neighbouring people.

Concussion

Though the Central and the State Governments have taken much interest

in the tribal welfare programmes, projects and schemes, much remains

to be done. The progress achieved in this field is far from satisfactory.

The Sixth Plan document notes with concern that "three decades of

development have not had the desired impact on the socially,

economically and educationally handicapped sections. The welfare

programmes have not been effective due to inadequacies in the

administrative machinery, lack of sensitive, trained management, lack of

general preparedness for large investments, deficiency in accounting

system procedural delays and lack of proper monitoring and evaluation.

Even after the completion of the 7th plan things have not radically

improved. It is necessary that in the current plan and in the years to

come, due attention is to be paid for the over all improvement of the

tribals.