Context: Assam tribal body protests against ST tag for six groups
The term 'Scheduled Tribes' first appeared in the Constitution of India under Article 366 (25) defined scheduled tribes as “such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for this constitution”.
Article 342(1): The President with respect to any State/UT (after consultation with the Governor in case of state) may specify the tribes/tribal communities/part of or groups within tribes/ tribal communities as a Scheduled Tribe in that State/UT.
Distribution Of Tribes in India
The Scheduled Tribes are notified in 30 States/UTs and the number of individual ethnic groups, etc. notified as Scheduled Tribes is 705.
The tribal population of the country, as per 2011 census, is 10.43 crore, constituting 8.6% of the total population.
89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas
Broadly the STs inhabit two distinct geographical area – the Central India and the North- Eastern Area. More than two-third of the ST population is concentrated only in the seven States of the country, viz. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
The sex ratio Scheduled Tribes 990 females per thousand males greater than national average of 940
The literacy rate of Scheduled Tribe population is 59% which is lower than thenational average of 74.04%
Criteria for identifying scheduled tribes: According to Lokur Committee (1965) the essential characteristics of these communities are
Primitive Traits
Geographical isolation
Distinct culture
Shy of contact with community at large
Economically backward
Process Of Listing Of Scheduled Tribes
1State Government Proposal to Union Tribal Affairs Ministry which then forwards it to the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI).
2Review by Registrar General of India if approved, forwards it to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
3Review by National Commission of ST and if approved, recommends the inclusion to the Union Government.
4After concurrence from all institutions, the proposal is sent to the Cabinet for amendment to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
5The final decision rests with the President, who issues a notification under Articles 342.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
