Tribal Communities in India

The Scheduled Tribes, also referred to as Adivasis (original inhabitants), or Girjians, are settled in different parts of the country, including the northern, central, northeast, and southern regions of India. More than 50 Tribal communities that constitute the Scheduled Tribes speak a multitude of languages. They are also religiously and culturally diverse.

The category of Scheduled Tribes was established in 1950, three years after India's independence. It sought to encompass the country's diverse tribal groups under a common category to help address the disadvantages the tribes encountered and to integrate them into the mainstream of Indian society. Besides being geographically and socially isolated, the tribal communities have a history of being politically under-represented and their regions they are settled in are economically underdeveloped.

Recently, Government of India has passed the well awaited Tribes Bill, to provide the tribal people rights to forest land already occupied by them and to secure access to forest produce essential for their survival and livelihoods.

To view the state-wise tribal population in India: http://tribal.nic.in/indiamap.html