Category Archives: Figures, census and other statistics

“After Independence, the erstwhile aborigines were classified as scheduled tribes, the untouchables were classified as scheduled castes and others included in the backward classes. Although, many of the denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes are spread among SC/ST/OBC, many are still not classified anywhere and have no access to socio-economic benefits, whether education, health, housing or otherwise. […] These communities/tribes account for nearly 10 per cent of community’s population as has been mentioned in some writings and there are nearly 820 communities and tribes in India, although some of the community leaders assess that their number would be more with 198 denotified tribes and nearly 1,500 nomadic tribes and their population may be even more than 10 per cent.” – Bibek Debroy quoting a 2016 Report of the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes NCDNT (Indian Express, 5 January 2017)
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/crime-criminal-act-racial-discrimination-non-bailable-offence-criminal-tribes-act-an-unfortunate-legacy-4459258/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=12284

“India is home to nearly 20 Cr. [200 million] traditional forest-dwelling Adivasis and OTFDs [other forest dwelling communities], who derive their subsistence and livelihoods from forest and forest resources over several generations and thousands of years.” – Research team (Sayantani Satpathi, Shambhavi Singh & Subhodeep Basu) in “Revisiting the Forest Rights Act: Status of Implementation with respect to Land Tenures and Collection of Minor Forest Produce), Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (New Delhi, 12 July 2019)
https://www.academia.edu/41756309
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=10151

“As per 2011 census, the total ST [Scheduled Tribes] population is 10.42 crores [104 million], of which more than 50% or in excess of 6 [60 million] crores live in 5th Scheduled Area in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh. The 5th Schedule forbids monetization of land by STs in Scheduled Areas.” – Indian Police Service (IPS) officer M Nageswara Rao in “Scheduled Tribes: Who are they? How to mainstream them?” (Times of India, 16 May 2020)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/scheduled-tribes-who-are-they-how-to-mainstream-them/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=5576

“The tribal population in Maharashtra in 2011 was 10.5 million constituting 9.35 percent of the total population of the state. The state has the second largest tribal population in the country, next only to Madhya Pradesh, with 10 percent of the total ST population of India. Numerically, Maharashtra state has the largest number of tribal population in the country.” – Foreword to “Tribal Sub-Plan in Maharashtra: A Diagnostic Study” (TATA Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai supported by Unicef Maharashtra, December 2015)
https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3c8758b517083196f05ac29810b924aca/uploads/2019/11/2019112971.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=31354

“About 80 per cent of the 5 million chronically undernourished tribal children live in just eight states of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha.” – Programme report on Tribal nutrition: “UNICEF’s efforts to support the tribal population, especially children who suffer from malnourishment”
https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/tribal-nutrition
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11674

“Broadly, trafficking is the exploitation of people, most often for sexual exploitation or forced labour. The different elements are captured within the UN ‘Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children’,1 adopted in 2000 and implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). […] The highest numbers of trafficking victims are detected in the countries in which they are citizens. […] Walk Free Foundation has used figures from household surveys to produce their ‘Global Slavery Index’, which estimated that on “any given day in 2016, an estimated 24.9 million men, women, and children were living in modern slavery in Asia and the Pacific” – Anna Tsalapatanis (Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford) in “An uncertainty of terms. Definitional and methodological concerns in human trafficking” (IIAS The Newsletter 87 Autumn 2020)
https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/uncertainty-terms-definitional-and-methodological-concerns-human-trafficking
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=36150

“There are over 500 tribes (with many overlapping communities in more than one State) as notified under article 342 of the Constitution of India, spread over different States and Union Territories of the country […] Primitive, geographically isolated, shy and socially, educationally & economically backwardness these are the traits that distinguish Scheduled Tribes of our country from other communities. Tribal communities live in about 15% of the country’s areas in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging from plains to forests, hills and inaccessible areas.” – National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) on 26 June 2019
https://www.ncst.nic.in 
https://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?page_id=22029

Cf. 2017 figures and distribution across India:
“There are over 700 tribes (with overlapping communities in more than one State) which have been notified under Article 342 of the Constitution of India, spread over different States and Union Territories of the country. The largest number of main tribal communities (62) has been specified in relation to the State of Orissa. The Scheduled Tribes have been specified in relation to all the States and Union Territories except Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Pondicherry.” – National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) on 10 April 2017
https://www.ncst.gov.in/content/frequently-asked-questions
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=22095

The relevance of Gandhi’s legacy for solving modern India’s socio-economic problems: Addressing the needs of peasants, labourers, students and tribals

Posted on 26/07/2021 by website administrator

In a year GDP contracted 7.7 per cent, and as we brace for another round of ‘reverse’ migrations, and as the farmers wait unheeded at the gates of Delhi, Indian billionaires reached record levels of wealth. […] The ranks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Commentary, Community facilities, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Gandhian social movement, Government of India, History, Misconceptions, Modernity, Narmada, Nature and wildlife, Networking, Press snippets, Rural poverty, Women | Comments Off on The relevance of Gandhi’s legacy for solving modern India’s socio-economic problems: Addressing the needs of peasants, labourers, students and tribals

“A historic opportunity of integrating conservation and livelihood rights of the people”: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act – Reports & Articles

Posted on 26/07/2021 by website administrator

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is a result of the protracted struggle by the marginal and tribal communities of our country to assert their rights over the forestland over which they … Continue reading →

Posted in Adverse inclusion, Ecology and environment, Figures, census and other statistics, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, History, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, Quotes, Resources, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Scheduled Tribe (ST) | Comments Off on “A historic opportunity of integrating conservation and livelihood rights of the people”: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act – Reports & Articles

“Facilitate integration of tribal medical system and modern medicine”: Undernutrition and childhood morbidities due to inaction

Posted on 26/07/2021 by website administrator

Indian J Med Res. 2005 Jul ;122 (1):43-7 16106089  Cit:8 Undernutrition & childhood morbidities among tribal preschool children. [My paper] V G Rao, Rajeev Yadav, C K Dolla, Surendra Kumar, M K Bhondeley, Mahendra UkeyRegional Medical Research Centre for Tribals … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Childhood and children, eBook & eJournal, Figures, census and other statistics, Health and nutrition, Literature and bibliographies, Names and communities, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Rural poverty | Tagged | Comments Off on “Facilitate integration of tribal medical system and modern medicine”: Undernutrition and childhood morbidities due to inaction

The unique narrative of shawls worn among 16 major tribes: Reflecting one’s social standing and the younger generation’s changing tastes – Nagaland

Posted on 22/07/2021 by website administrator

ANTHONY KURIAKOSE narrates how each Naga shawl is a thing of beauty, mystery, history and eternal appeal. And how each shawl wraps in its folds, a unique narrative. In the textile history of  India, the warrior shawls of  Nagaland have … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts and visual arts, Customs, Dress and ornaments, Fashion and design, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, History, Modernity, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Seasons and festivals, Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council, Storytelling, Tribal elders, Women, Worship and rituals | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The unique narrative of shawls worn among 16 major tribes: Reflecting one’s social standing and the younger generation’s changing tastes – Nagaland

Adivasi art “A Disappearing World” – Gandhi Foundation (London)

Posted on 20/07/2021 by website administrator

The exhibition, “A Disappearing World: Ancient Traditions Under Threat in Tribal India”, opened at the Brunei Gallery at SOAS on April 13 and will run until June 25. Seminars are also being held to discuss the suffering of the tribals. … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi / Adibasi, Colonial policies, Constitution and Supreme Court, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Health and nutrition, Misconceptions, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Social conventions, Tribal culture worldwide, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on Adivasi art “A Disappearing World” – Gandhi Foundation (London)