Distribution of Scheduled Tribes
Topic: Population of India: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Scheduled Tribes (STs) are tribal communities listed under the Constitution for special protection. In 2011 they made up 8.6% of India's population, about 10.4 crore people. They live mostly in two areas:
- the central tribal belt: MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, plus Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra;
- the North-East, where Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya are over 85% tribal.
Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Puducherry have no notified STs. These areas are mostly hills, forests and plateaus that are hard to reach.
Example
Odisha has the most Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (13). Among them are the Bondo and the Dongria Kondh of the Niyamgiri hills.
Don't confuse with
- Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): these are the 75 most isolated tribes among the STs. They use very simple, pre-farming tools, have low literacy and a stagnant or falling population.