SCHEDULED TRIBES
- Article 366(25) of the Constitution defines that Scheduled Tribes means “those tribal communities or parts of or groups with in such tribes or tribal communities or parts or groups within such tribes or tribal communities.”
- The Scheduled Tribes generally consist of inhabitants from forest and hill areas and other tribal groups. STs have historically been physically or geographically excluded.
- Nearly 700 such tribes/ communities have been notified as Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 of the Constitution of India.
- There are 705 tribes that are included as Scheduled Tribes in India in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
- As per 2011 census, tribal population of the country is 43 crores, constituting 8.61% of the total population. 91.7% of them live in rural areas and 8.3% in urban areas.
- About 15% of the Country’s area is inhabited by the tribal communities, who live in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging from plains to forests and bills to inaccessible areas.
- The highest proportion of ST population have reported from Madhya Pradesh (14.51%) followed by Maharashtra (19.7%) and Odisha (9.66%).
- The decadal literacy rate of STs has gradually increased from 8.53% in 1961 to 59%, in 2011.
OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES
- Other Backward Classes (OBCs) comprise the castes and communities which are found common in the lists of the Mandal Commission Report.
- The Mandal Commission covered more than 3000 communities / castes and sub castes under Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
- OBCs form around 52% of the country’s population. The National Sample Survey conducted during 2004-05 (61st Round), puts the figure at 41%.
- Other Backward Classes consists of Small & Marginal Farmers, Agricultural Labourers, Artisans, Pastoral Communities and similar groups who have been considered as educationally and economically backward.
