Rights of Scheduled Tribes of India: Acts, Commissions and Recommendations

The tribals/Adivasis/the indigenous people have a strong culture and value with which they had organized their social, cultural, economic and political administrations and structures. This is precisely the reason why they continue to remain a distinct people inspite of every attempt by the dominant caste and class to bring them under the ‘mainstream’. When the country became independent, the tribals made an agreement with the ruling class that they would become the citizens of the independent country and the state in turn would protect their rights. But progressively it is being seen that instead of the rights of the tribals being protected they are being violated constantly and at all levels. Over and above, in the last 60 years, many more commissions, committees were constituted to address the issues of the tribals. All these to a great extent remained on paper and the tribals were subjected to isolation, deprivation, discrimination and exploitation. This book presents the various acts, commissions, recommendations of the commissions enacted and constituted for upholding the rights of the tribals.