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What does Scheduled Tribe status mean in India?

Scheduled Tribe status means a community is on an official list under India's constitution. Listed communities are entitled to reserved seats in parliament and state assemblies, reserved places in government jobs and education, and special legal protection for their land and customs. The status is a legal category, not a description of a way of life.

The constitution does not define a tribe. It says that Scheduled Tribes are those communities notified by the President under Article 342. Parliament can add or remove communities by law. Features considered have included distinct culture, geographical isolation and social and economic disadvantage.

The status brings reservation, India's system of set-aside places. At the national level, 7.5% of central government jobs and places in central universities are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and 47 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, are reserved for them.

It also brings protection of land and self-rule. The Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the constitution set special rules for tribal areas, and laws such as PESA and the Forest Rights Act give village assemblies authority over local resources. Many states restrict the sale of tribal land to people who are not tribal.

A separate law, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, sets out penalties for certain crimes committed against members of these communities. The status is attached to a state list, so a person may be recognised in a home state but not after moving to another.

Words used here

Scheduled TribeFifth ScheduleSixth SchedulePESA ActForest Rights ActGram sabha

Sources

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