DALIT AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES

• Social

• Social discrimination and exclusion: Persistent discrimination towards these communities during social interactions, including marriage and social gathering, creates a feeling of exclusion and isolation.

• Example: Recent conflict over Dalit entry into Draupadi Amman temple in Tamil Nadu.

• Educational disparities: Limited access to quality education and high dropout rates among tribal students due to economic constraints, poor infrastructure, and limited representation of tribal languages and culture in mainstream educational curricula.

• Example: As per Tribal Development Report 2022, 48.2% of total children enrolled in schools in tribal areas drop out even before class 8.

• Healthcare disparities: Lack of quality healthcare facilities and professionals in remote tribal areas and high prevalence of diseases due to poor sanitation, malnutrition, and lack of awareness.

• Example: A screening exercise conducted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs indicates that Sickle Cell Anaemia is common among tribes like Bhil, Gond, Pawara etc. and 20% of tribals with the disease die before 2 years of age.

• Threat and security concerns: These communities are often stereotyped in a negative manner and are usually prone to attacks from mainstream society over petty issues.

• Example: While Dalits (including both SCs and STs) constitute 25 per cent of the Indian population, they account for 33.2 per cent of prisoners. (NCRB)

• Economic

• Economic marginalization: Dependence on traditional occupation, lack of quality education and lack of access to credit restrict them from high paying jobs.

• Example: As per India Discrimination Report 2022, the average earning of a self-employed non-SC/ST is INR 15878 while for SC/ST is 10533.

• Land rights and displacement: Historical injustices related to land ownership and displacement from ancestral lands in the name of development without suitable compensation has made them resource deficient.

• Example: As per 2011 census, 70% of Dalits are landless labourers and 58.4% of rural Dalit households do not own land at all.

• Infrastructure and connectivity: Poor infrastructure development in tribal regions, including roads, electricity, internet and communication facilities and inadequate connectivity leading to isolation and hindrance in accessing markets and services.

• Example: Kerala was the first state in India to declare right to Internet as a basic right, but 189 tribal colonies in the states still have no access to Internet.

• Lack of skill development: Insufficient focus on skill development programs due to the limited access to vocational training and employment opportunities.

• Political

• Legal safeguard and implementation: Limited effectiveness of legal safeguards and affirmative action policies have made many policies redundant.

• Example: Based on Education ministries data, of the total admissions made by all IITs from 2015 to 2019, only 9.1% went to SC and 2.1% to ST.

• Less political power: Though reservation and caste-based politics have increased their political representation, representatives from these communities yield little real power and have limited say in strategic decisions.

Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled castes and Tribal community

• Article 15(4): State shall make special provisions for the advancement of SEBC, SC and ST.

• Article 46: Promotion of educational and economic interest of SC, ST and other weaker sections of the society.

• Article 275: Grant in aid for the development of infrastructure in tribal areas.

• Article 330: Reservation for SC and ST in the House of the People

• Article 332: Reservation for SC and ST in the State Legislative Assemblies

• Article 350A: Facility for giving instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage of education.