What is to be a Distinct Tribe? The contestation in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62656/Keywords:
Distinct Tribes, Scheduled Tribes, Inclusion, Recognition, IndigenousAbstract
The Constitution of India, Articles 342 and 366(25), enumerates the tribes and the Scheduled Tribes. According to these Articles, the President of India has the power and authority to declare a tribe or community as a Scheduled Tribe in consultation with the concerned Governor of the state. Since the first Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order in 1950, inclusion of tribes and communities in the Scheduled Tribes category has been made through amendments over the years. However, the specifications and modalities adopted by the state government are found to be inconsistent with the criteria laid down by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. The nature of the tribe’s recognition as a Scheduled Tribe across states is complicated. The paper attempts to argue the process of inclusion of tribes in the Scheduled Tribes category. The paper is expected to create space for further academic debate and discourse on this aspect.
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