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Scheduled Tribes and their regions

मराठीत स्पष्टीकरण

Human geography of India · Part 4 / 4 · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

Who is a Scheduled Tribe under Articles 366(25) and 342; the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, PESA and other safeguards; the Scheduled Tribe population in 2011 and its state pattern; the five tribal belts and the major tribes in each; Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups and PM JANMAN; shifting cultivation, land alienation, displacement and the Forest Rights Act.

Each idea is explained first in Marathi (मराठी), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Marathi and revise it in English.

आतापर्यंत देशाची संपूर्ण लोकसंख्या पाहिली. हा भाग एका खास गटाबद्दल आहे: अनुसूचित जमाती. दर बारा भारतीयांपैकी एकापेक्षा जास्त लोक या गटातले आहेत. पण ते सगळीकडे सारखे नाहीत: काही राज्यांत अगदी थोडे, ईशान्येकडील काही राज्यांत बहुसंख्य. आपल्या डोंगरातल्या आदिवासी पाड्यांची आठवण करा. कोण जमात मानली जाते, त्यांच्या भागांसाठी व्यवस्था, 2011 चे आकडे, प्रमुख जमाती, सर्वांत असुरक्षित गट आणि जमीन-जंगलावरचे दबाव यात येतात. (→ English: Scheduled Tribe · हिन्दी: अनुसूचित जनजाति)

In exam EnglishParts 1 to 3 looked at India's people as a whole. This last part turns to the Scheduled Tribe communities, whom the Constitution names and protects. More than one Indian in twelve belongs to them, yet they are spread very unevenly, from States where they are a tiny minority to north-eastern States where they form most of the population. It covers who counts as a Scheduled Tribe and the special rules for their areas, the 2011 figures, the main tribal belts and tribes, the most vulnerable groups, and the pressures on tribal land and forest.

संविधान जमातीची व्याख्या रीतिरिवाजांवरून करत नाही. राष्ट्रपती प्रत्येक राज्यासाठी एक यादी जाहीर करतात; त्या यादीतले लोक म्हणजे अनुसूचित जमाती. त्यानंतर कुणाला जोडायचे किंवा वगळायचे असेल तर संसदेलाच कायदा करावा लागतो; नवी अधिसूचना पुरत नाही. एकच समाज एका राज्याच्या यादीत असेल आणि शेजारच्या राज्यात नसेल, कारण यादी राज्यवार असते. कुणाची शिफारस करायची यासाठी 1965 च्या लोकूर समितीने सुचवलेल्या खुणा: आदिम वैशिष्ट्ये, वेगळी संस्कृती, भौगोलिक एकटेपणा, बाहेरच्यांशी संपर्काचा संकोच आणि मागासलेपण. (→ English: Scheduled Tribe · हिन्दी: अनुसूचित जनजाति)

In exam EnglishThe Constitution does not define a tribe by its customs. Article 366(25) says Scheduled Tribes are the tribes or tribal communities, or parts of or groups within them, that are 'deemed under article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes'. Article 342 gives the first step to the President, who, after consulting the Governor in the case of a State, issues a public notification naming the communities for that State or Union Territory. After that only a law of Parliament, not a fresh notification, can add or remove a community. Because the list is drawn State by State, a community may be a Scheduled Tribe in one State and not in its neighbour. To decide which groups to propose, the government uses the markers of the Lokur Committee (1965): primitive traits, a distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the wider community, and backwardness. More than 700 communities are notified across India.

दोन वेगळ्या व्यवस्था आहेत, घराला दोन प्रकारची कुलुपे असावीत तशा. पाचवी अनुसूची आसाम, मेघालय, त्रिपुरा, मिझोराम सोडून इतर राज्यांतील प्रत्येक अनुसूचित क्षेत्र यासाठी: तिथे राज्यपाल एखादा कायदा लागू होण्यापासून थांबवू शकतात, आदिवासींची जमीन हातची जाऊ नये आणि सावकारी आटोक्यात राहावी असे नियम करू शकतात; जमाती सल्लागार परिषदही असते. दहा राज्यांत अशी क्षेत्रे आहेत. सहावी अनुसूची त्या चार ईशान्य राज्यांसाठी; ती आणखी एक पाऊल पुढे जाऊन स्वायत्त जिल्हा परिषदा देते, ज्या जमीन, जंगल, वारसा यांवर कायदे करतात आणि स्वतःची न्यायालये चालवतात. (→ English: Fifth Schedule, Scheduled Area, Sixth Schedule · हिन्दी: पाँचवीं अनुसूची, अनुसूचित क्षेत्र, छठी अनुसूची)

In exam EnglishArticle 244 sets up two different frames for tribal regions. The Fifth Schedule governs each Scheduled Area in every State other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. In these areas the Governor may direct that an Act of Parliament or of the State Legislature shall not apply, or shall apply only with changes, and may make regulations for peace and good government, in particular to forbid or limit the transfer of land by tribal people and to control moneylending. Each such State must have a Tribes Advisory Council of not more than twenty members, about three-fourths of them Scheduled Tribe members of the State Legislative Assembly. Ten States now have Fifth Schedule areas. The Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas in the four north-eastern States named above and goes further. It creates autonomous district councils of up to thirty members, which make laws on matters such as land, forests other than reserved forests, shifting cultivation, inheritance and village administration, and run their own courts for local disputes.

1992 मध्ये आलेला पंचायत भाग पाचव्या अनुसूचीच्या क्षेत्रांना आपोआप लागू झाला नाही. 1996 च्या पेसा कायद्याने तो तिथे वाढवला, पण गावसमाजालाच केंद्रस्थानी ठेवले. एखाद्या पाड्याजवळ प्रकल्पासाठी जमीन घ्यायची असेल तर आधी ग्रामसभेला किंवा योग्य स्तरावरच्या पंचायतीला विचारावे लागते; गौण वनोपजाची मालकी पंचायतींकडे. शिवाय लोकसभा, विधानसभांत राखीव जागा (लोकसभेत 47), चार राज्यांत आदिवासी कल्याण मंत्री आणि 2003 मध्ये वेगळा झालेला राष्ट्रीय अनुसूचित जमाती आयोग आहे. (→ English: Gram Sabha; PESA · हिन्दी: ग्राम सभा; पेसा)

In exam EnglishPart IX of the Constitution, the panchayat chapter added in 1992, did not apply on its own to Fifth Schedule areas. Parliament extended it to them through the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, known as PESA, with changes that put the village community at the centre. Under PESA every Gram Sabha is competent to safeguard the people's traditions, community resources and customary ways of settling disputes. It, or the panchayat at the right level, must be consulted before land is acquired for projects; and panchayats get ownership of minor forest produce and powers to prevent land alienation and to regulate moneylending. Alongside sit the general safeguards: seats reserved in the Lok Sabha and the State assemblies (Articles 330 and 332), forty-seven Lok Sabha seats after the 2008 delimitation; and a minister for tribal welfare in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha under Article 164(1). The 89th Amendment, 2003, created a separate National Commission for Scheduled Tribes under Article 338A, splitting it from the commission for Scheduled Castes under Article 338.
Three frames for tribal areas
ProvisionWhere it appliesKey featureMain body
Fifth Schedule (Art 244(1))Scheduled Areas in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram (ten States)Governor can bar or adapt laws and make regulations on land transfer and moneylendingTribes Advisory Council (up to 20 members)
Sixth Schedule (Art 244(2))Tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and MizoramAutonomous district councils make laws on land, forests, jhum, inheritance; run local courtsAutonomous district council (up to 30 members)
PESA, 1996Fifth Schedule areasExtends Part IX panchayats with changes; consultation before land acquisition; minor forest produceGram sabha

2011 च्या जनगणनेत अनुसूचित जमातींचे लोक सुमारे 10.4 कोटी, म्हणजे देशाच्या लोकसंख्येच्या 8.6 टक्के; 2001 मध्ये हे 8.2 टक्के होते. दहापैकी जवळपास नऊ जण खेड्यांत राहतात. लिंग गुणोत्तर चांगले: दर 1,000 पुरुषांमागे सुमारे 990 स्त्रिया, देशाची सरासरी 943. पण साक्षरता सुमारे 59 टक्के, देशाचा दर सुमारे 73; स्त्रियांमध्ये तफावत आणखी मोठी. वर्गाची सरासरी गुणसंख्या प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याबद्दल सांगत नाही, तसेच या सरासरीचे आहे: काही जमाती स्थायिक शेतकरी आहेत, तिथे शाळा झपाट्याने पोहोचली; तर काही अजूनही दुर्गम डोंगरांत आणि बेटांवर शिकार, गोळा करणे आणि फिरती शेती यावर जगतात. (→ English: Scheduled Tribe population · हिन्दी: अनुसूचित जनजाति जनसंख्या)

In exam EnglishCensus 2011 counted about 10.4 crore Scheduled Tribe people, 8.6 per cent of India's population, up from 8.2 per cent in 2001. Close to nine in ten live in villages. Their sex ratio, about 990 females per 1,000 males, is better than the national figure of 943, while their literacy, about 59 per cent, trails the national rate of about 73 per cent, and the gap is widest among women. These averages hide large differences between tribes. Some are settled farming communities in which schooling has spread quickly, while others still live mainly by hunting, gathering or shifting farming in remote hills and islands.

दोन प्रकारे मोजता येते, संख्येने आणि टक्केवारीने. मोठ्या पोत्यात जास्त तांदूळ असला तरी ते अर्धेच भरलेले असू शकते; लहान डब्यात थोडाच असला तरी तो पूर्ण भरलेला असतो. संख्येने मध्य प्रदेश पुढे, सुमारे 1.53 कोटी; नंतर महाराष्ट्र, ओडिशा, राजस्थान, गुजरात, मग झारखंड, छत्तीसगड. टक्केवारीत लक्षद्वीप (सुमारे 95), मिझोराम (सुमारे 94) जवळपास पूर्ण आदिवासी; नागालँड, मेघालय, अरुणाचल प्रदेशातही बहुमत. मोठ्या राज्यांत छत्तीसगड (सुमारे 31) आणि झारखंड (सुमारे 26) पुढे. पंजाब, हरियाणा, दिल्ली, चंडीगड, पुदुच्चेरीत अधिसूचित जमातीच नाहीत; उत्तर प्रदेशात एक टक्काही नाहीत. (→ English: share of Scheduled Tribes · हिन्दी: अनुसूचित जनजातियों का अनुपात)

In exam EnglishCounted by numbers, Madhya Pradesh has the largest Scheduled Tribe population, about 1.53 crore in 2011; Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Gujarat follow, then Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Counted by share, the picture shifts to the north-east and the islands. Lakshadweep (about 95 per cent) and Mizoram (about 94 per cent) are almost wholly tribal, and Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh also have tribal majorities. Among the larger States the share is highest in Chhattisgarh (about 31 per cent) and Jharkhand (about 26 per cent). At the other end, no Scheduled Tribe has been notified for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh or Puducherry, and in Uttar Pradesh they make up well under one per cent.

देशातले आदिवासी भाग पाच पट्ट्यांत पाहता येतात, नकाशावर पाच रंगांच्या रेषा ओढल्यासारखे. ईशान्य पट्टा: डोंगरी राज्ये, आसामचे काही भाग; नागा, मिझो, बोडो आणि मेघालयातले खासी, गारो. मध्य पट्टा सर्वांत मोठा: झारखंड, ओडिशा, छत्तीसगड, पूर्व मध्य प्रदेश, बंगालची पश्चिम कड, महाराष्ट्र-तेलंगणाचे पूर्व भाग; गोंड, संथाल, मुंडा, ओरावं, हो. पश्चिम पट्टा: अरवली, सातपुडा डोंगरांच्या बाजूने, भिल्लांचा मुलूख. दक्षिण पट्टा लहान, तुकड्यातुकड्यांचा: निलगिरी, पश्चिम घाटापासून नल्लमलापर्यंत; तोडा, कुरुंबा, इरुला, चेंचू. बेट पट्टा: अंदमान-निकोबार, लक्षद्वीप. (→ English: tribal belt · हिन्दी: जनजातीय पट्टी)

In exam EnglishGeographers usually group India's tribal homelands into five belts. The north-eastern belt covers the hill States and parts of Assam, where Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples such as the Nagas, Mizos and Bodos live alongside the Khasi and Garo of Meghalaya. The central belt, the largest, runs across the old plateau country of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, the western edge of West Bengal and the eastern parts of Maharashtra and Telangana; it is home to the Gond, Santhal, Munda, Oraon and Ho. The western belt follows the Aravalli and Satpura hills through southern Rajasthan, eastern Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh and northern Maharashtra, and is the land of the Bhil. The southern belt is smaller and broken into pockets, from the Nilgiris and the Western Ghats to the Nallamala hills, with groups such as the Toda, Kurumba, Irula and Chenchu. The island belt takes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
The five tribal belts
BeltMain areasExamples of tribes
North-easternHill States of the north-east, parts of AssamNaga tribes, Mizo, Bodo, Khasi, Garo
Central (largest)Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern MP, western edge of West BengalGond, Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Ho
WesternAravalli and Satpura hills: south Rajasthan, east Gujarat, west MP, north MaharashtraBhil
SouthernNilgiris, Western Ghats, Nallamala hillsToda, Kurumba, Irula, Chenchu
IslandsAndaman and Nicobar Islands, LakshadweepGreat Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese, Shompen, Nicobarese

संख्येने दोन जमाती उठून दिसतात. 2011 मध्ये भिल्ल सर्वांत मोठी जमात, सुमारे 1.7 कोटी; मध्य प्रदेश, गुजरात, राजस्थान, महाराष्ट्रात राहतात, त्यांची भिली भाषा इंडो-आर्य आहे, आपल्या मराठीसारखी. गोंड सुमारे 1.3 कोटींसह दुसरे; विदर्भासह पाच राज्यांत राहतात, त्यांची गोंडी भाषा द्रविड कुळातली, ओरावंची कुडुखही तशीच. संथाल तिसरे; त्यांची संथाली ओल चिकी लिपीत लिहितात, 2003 मध्ये 92 व्या दुरुस्तीने आठवी अनुसूची यात आली; मुंडारी, हो यांच्यासह ऑस्ट्रिक कुळ. या जमाती वसाहती राजवट आणि सावकारांविरुद्ध लढल्या: 1855–56 चा संथाल उठाव (सिद्धू, कान्हू), बिरसा मुंडांचा उलगुलान. (→ English: Eighth Schedule; Austric languages · हिन्दी: आठवीं अनुसूची; आस्ट्रिक भाषाएँ)

In exam EnglishTwo tribes stand out by size. The Bhil were the most numerous Scheduled Tribe in 2011, about 1.7 crore people spread over Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and they speak Bhili, an Indo-Aryan language. The Gond, about 1.3 crore, came next; they live across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana, and their Gondi language is Dravidian, as is Kurukh, the language of the Oraon of Jharkhand. The Santhal, mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, were the third largest. Their language, Santali, is written in the Ol Chiki script and was added to the Eighth Schedule by the 92nd Amendment in 2003; together with Mundari and Ho it belongs to the Austric family. History ties several of these tribes to resistance against colonial rule and moneylenders: the Santhal rising of 1855–56, led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu, and the Ulgulan of the Munda under Birsa Munda at the close of the nineteenth century.

ईशान्येत वेगवेगळ्या जमाती दाटीवाटीने आहेत. मेघालयातील खासी, जयंतिया, गारो यांच्यात मातृवंशीय परंपरा: आडनाव आणि मालमत्ता आईकडून येते; खासींमध्ये धाकट्या मुलीला वडिलोपार्जित घर मिळते. आपल्याकडे घर मुलाला असे मानतात, तिथे मुलीला असे कल्पना करा. नागालँडमध्ये अंगामी, आओ, कोन्याक अशा नागा जमाती; आसामच्या मैदानातली सर्वांत मोठी जमात बोडो. दक्षिणेत निलगिरीचे तोडा म्हशींभोवती जगणारे पशुपालक; नल्लमलाचे चेंचू जंगलावर खूप अवलंबून. अंदमानात ग्रेट अंदमानी, जारवा, ओंगे, सेंटिनली; ग्रेट निकोबारच्या जंगलात शोंपेन; निकोबारी हे नारळ पिकवणारे स्थायिक मोठे समाज. (→ English: matrilineal society · हिन्दी: मातृवंशीय समाज)

In exam EnglishThe north-east has the densest pattern of distinct tribes. In Meghalaya the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo follow matrilineal descent: family name and property usually pass through the mother, and among the Khasi the youngest daughter traditionally inherits the ancestral house. Nagaland is home to many Naga tribes such as the Angami, Ao and Konyak, and the Bodo are the largest plains tribe of Assam. In the south, the Toda of the Nilgiris are pastoral people whose way of life centres on their buffaloes, and the Chenchu of the Nallamala hills depend heavily on the forest. The Andaman Islands are home to some of the world's most isolated peoples: the Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge and Sentinelese, while the Shompen live in the forests of Great Nicobar and the Nicobarese, the largest island community, are settled coconut growers.

जमातींमध्येही काही गट इतरांपेक्षा खूपच असुरक्षित आहेत, घरातल्या सर्वांत अशक्त मुलाकडे जास्त लक्ष द्यावे तसे. त्यांना विशेष असुरक्षित आदिवासी गट म्हणतात; चार खुणा: शेतीपूर्व पातळीचे तंत्रज्ञान, न वाढणारी किंवा घटणारी लोकसंख्या, अगदी कमी साक्षरता आणि पोटापुरती अर्थव्यवस्था. आधी त्यांना 'आदिम आदिवासी गट' म्हणत. एकूण 75, अठरा राज्ये आणि अंदमान-निकोबारमध्ये; ओडिशात सर्वाधिक, तेरा. नोव्हेंबर 2023 मध्ये पीएम जनमन अभियान, सुमारे ₹24,000 कोटींतून घर, रस्ते, नळाचे पाणी, वीज, आरोग्य, शाळा यांच्या वस्त्यांपर्यंत. (→ English: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) · हिन्दी: विशेष रूप से कमज़ोर जनजातीय समूह)

In exam EnglishWithin the Scheduled Tribes some groups are far more exposed than the rest. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs identifies them as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group communities using four tests: a pre-agricultural level of technology, a stagnant or declining population, extremely low literacy and a subsistence level of economy. They were earlier called 'Primitive Tribal Groups'. There are 75 PVTGs in 18 States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Odisha has the largest number, thirteen. The Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese and Shompen are all on the list, as are the Baiga of Madhya Pradesh and the Bondo and Dongria Kondh of Odisha. In November 2023 the Centre launched PM JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan), a mission with an outlay of about ₹24,000 crore to bring housing, roads, piped water, electricity, health care and schooling to PVTG habitations.

अनेक आदिवासी प्रश्न जमीन वापरण्याच्या जुन्या पद्धती आणि तिच्यावरच्या नव्या मागण्या यांच्या संघर्षातून येतात. स्थलांतरित शेती (ईशान्येत झूम, आंध्र, तेलंगणा, ओडिशात पोडू) जंगलाचा तुकडा तोडून-जाळून काही वर्षे पिकवते आणि मग दुसरीकडे जाते, जंगल पुन्हा वाढू देत. जमिनीला विश्रांतीचा काळ लांब होता तेव्हा हे चालले; माणसे वाढली आणि जंगल घटले तसे चक्र लहान झाले, माती थकते, उतार झिजतात. दुसरे: कर्ज, फसवणूक, विक्रीतून आदिवासी जमीन बाहेरच्यांच्या हाती जाणे. समता खटल्यात (1997) अनुसूचित क्षेत्रातील आदिवासी जमीन खाजगी, बिगर-आदिवासी खाण कंपन्यांना भाड्याने देता येणार नाही असे सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाने सांगितले. तिसरे: धरणे, खाणी, कारखान्यांमुळे होणारे विस्थापन. नियमगिरी खटल्यात (2013) खाणकामाबद्दल ग्रामसभांनीच ठरवावे असे न्यायालयाने सांगितले, आणि बाराही ग्रामसभांनी नकार दिला. (→ English: shifting cultivation (jhum); land alienation · हिन्दी: स्थानांतरी कृषि (झूम); भूमि अन्य-संक्रामण)

In exam EnglishMany tribal problems come from a clash between old ways of using land and new demands on it. shifting cultivation, called jhum in the north-east and podu in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha, clears a patch of forest by slashing and burning, farms it for a few years and then moves on, leaving the forest to grow back. It worked while the fallow period was long, but with more people and less forest the cycle has shortened, so soils wear out and hill slopes erode. Land alienation is a second strand: tribal land passing to outsiders through debt, fraud or sale. In Samatha v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1997) the Supreme Court held that the State could not lease tribal land in Scheduled Areas to private, non-tribal mining firms. Third, dams, mines and factories in mineral-rich tribal districts have displaced many tribal families. In the Niyamgiri case (2013) the Court asked the gram sabhas of the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha to decide whether bauxite mining would harm their religious and forest rights, and all twelve rejected it.

सरकारचे धोरण 'संरक्षण' पासून 'हक्कांना मान्यता' कडे सरकले आहे. ऑक्टोबर 1999 मध्ये आदिवासी कार्य मंत्रालय वेगळे झाले. 2006 चा वन हक्क कायदा 13 डिसेंबर 2005 पूर्वीपासून कसत असलेल्या जमिनीवर आणि गौण वनोपज, चराई, सामूहिक जंगलांचे संरक्षण यांवर वनवासींचा हक्क मान्य करतो; दाव्यांची प्रक्रिया ग्रामसभा सुरू करते. आजोबांच्या काळापासून कसलेल्या शेताचा शेवटी सातबारा हाती आल्यासारखे समजा. चारही भाग मिळून एकच चित्र: जनगणना मोजते, रचना आणि स्थलांतर कसे जगतात ते सांगतात, आदिवासी नकाशा भूगोल, इतिहास आणि कायदा जिथे भेटतात ते दाखवतो. डोंगर-जंगल ते कुठे राहतात, अनुसूची-पेसा-हा कायदा जमीन त्यांच्या हातात ठेवण्याचा प्रयत्न, आणि असुरक्षित गट-2011 चे आकडे तफावत कुठे मोठी ते दाखवतात. (→ English: Forest Rights Act · हिन्दी: वन अधिकार अधिनियम)

In exam EnglishThe State's answers have moved from protecting tribes towards recognising their rights. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs was set up in October 1999. The Forest Rights Act, formally the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities to land they were cultivating before 13 December 2005 and to community resources such as minor forest produce, grazing and the protection and management of community forests; the gram sabha starts the process of deciding claims. Taken together, the chapter's four parts form one picture: the Census counts India's people, composition and movement show how they live, and for tribes, hills and forests explain where they live, the Schedules, PESA and the Forest Rights Act try to keep their land in their hands, and PVTGs and the 2011 figures show where the gaps are widest.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Under which Article of the Constitution does the President specify the tribes or tribal communities that are to be Scheduled Tribes in a State?

  1. Article 338A
  2. Article 342
  3. Article 366(25)
  4. Article 244
Show answer

Answer: B. Article 342

Under Article 342 it is the President, after consulting the Governor, who issues the order listing a State's Scheduled Tribes. Article 338A sets up the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes; Article 366(25) only defines Scheduled Tribes by pointing to Article 342; Article 244 deals with the administration of Scheduled and tribal areas, not with the list of tribes.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution applies to the Scheduled Areas of Mizoram.
2. Inheritance of property is among the subjects on which a Sixth Schedule autonomous district council may legislate.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: Mizoram, with Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, is excluded from the Fifth Schedule; its tribal areas come under the Sixth Schedule. Statement 2 is right: inheritance is one of the subjects on which district councils may legislate. So '1 only', 'both' and 'neither' are incorrect.

Q3. Consider the following pairs of tribe and region:
1. Toda — Nilgiri hills
2. Jarawa — Lakshadweep
3. Bondo — Odisha
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

The Toda live in the Nilgiris and the Bondo in Odisha, so pairs 1 and 3 are correct. The Jarawa live in the Andaman Islands, not Lakshadweep, so pair 2 is wrong; that rules out '2 and 3 only' and '1, 2 and 3', and '1 only' misses the correct pair 3.

Q4. According to Census 2011, which State had the largest Scheduled Tribe population in absolute numbers?

  1. Mizoram
  2. Jharkhand
  3. Madhya Pradesh
  4. Odisha
Show answer

Answer: C. Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh had about 1.53 crore Scheduled Tribe people, the most of any State. Mizoram has the highest SHARE among States but a small total; Odisha and Jharkhand have large tribal populations but fewer than Madhya Pradesh (and Maharashtra).

Q5. With reference to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), consider the following statements:
1. There are 75 PVTGs in India.
2. Odisha has the largest number of PVTGs.
3. A population below a fixed minimum size is one of the criteria for identifying a PVTG.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: there are 75 PVTGs and Odisha has the most (13). Statement 3 is wrong: the tests are pre-agricultural technology, a stagnant or declining population, very low literacy and a subsistence economy; no minimum population size is fixed. So every option containing statement 3 is incorrect.

Q6. Which one of the following has no notified Scheduled Tribes?

  1. Punjab
  2. Kerala
  3. Uttar Pradesh
  4. Lakshadweep
Show answer

Answer: A. Punjab

Punjab, like Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh and Puducherry, has no notified Scheduled Tribes. Kerala has tribes such as the Irula and Kurumba; Uttar Pradesh has Scheduled Tribes, though well under one per cent of its people; Lakshadweep is the most tribal of all by share.

Q7. Which one of the following statements about the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 is correct?

  1. It applies the panchayat provisions of Part IX, in modified form, to the Fifth Schedule areas.
  2. It applies to the autonomous districts of the Sixth Schedule.
  3. It was enacted along with the 73rd Amendment in 1992.
  4. It vests the ownership of all minerals in the gram sabha.
Show answer

Answer: A. It applies the panchayat provisions of Part IX, in modified form, to the Fifth Schedule areas.

PESA extends the panchayat provisions of Part IX to Fifth Schedule areas with changes that strengthen the gram sabha. It does not cover Sixth Schedule areas, which have district councils; it came in 1996, four years after the 73rd Amendment; and it gives panchayats ownership of minor forest produce, not of minerals.

Q8. Consider the following statements about the Santali language:
1. It was added to the Eighth Schedule by the 92nd Amendment in 2003.
2. It belongs to the Dravidian family of languages.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Santali, with Mundari and Ho, is an Austric language; Gondi and Kurukh are the Dravidian tribal languages. So '2 only' and 'both' are wrong, and 'neither' ignores the correct statement 1.

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