Tribal development in India: Issues and dimension

Tribal development has been given one of the major attention by all the Governments in India during all five years plan on account of the socioeconomic backwardness of the tribles. Also lot of provisions have been brought in to the constitution to safeguard their basic interests. A study team remarked that tribal welfare should aim at the prospective within reasonable time. Advancement of the social and economic life of the tribes with a view to their gradual integration with the rest of country on a footing of equality. It is noted that Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of India constitutes about 8.08 percent of the total as per the 1991 census. Out of this more than 62 percent tribes are spread only in Five states of the country. However, the total number of such ST is 635 (Singh, 1992). All ST groups are entitled to have many benefits directly from the Governament, with reservations for them in many sectors of the development.