Context:
Boda Tyohar festival, the largest annual celebration for the Hatti tribes of the Trans-Giri region in Himachal Pradesh has started.
Hattis:
- A close-knit community that got their name from their tradition of selling homegrown vegetables, crops, meat, and wool, etc. at small markets called ‘haat’
- Habitat – Himachal-Uttarakhand border in the basin of the Giri and Tons rivers
- Tons marks the border between the two states.
- Both are tributaries of the Yamuna.
- Society –
- Rigid caste system operates in the community
- Inter-caste marriages have traditionally been discouraged.
- Governed by a traditional council called ‘khumbli’, like the ‘khaps’ of Haryana
Status of Scheduled Tribes in India:
- Government of India Act of 1935 called for the 1st time for representatives of “backward tribes” in provincial assemblies.
- Constitution does not define the criteria for recognition of Scheduled Tribes
- Article 366(25) of the Constitution only provides process to define Scheduled Tribes
- Accordingly, “Scheduled Tribes means such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this Constitution.”
- 342(1) of the Constitution says that the President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor, by a public notification, specify tribal communities as Scheduled Tribe in relation to that State or Union Territory.
- There are over 705 tribes which have been notified.
- Largest number of tribal communities are found in Odisha.
- 5th Schedule of the Constitution lays out provision for Administration and Control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
- 6th Schedule deals with the administration of the tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Related Committees:
- Xaxa Committee (2013)
- Bhuria Commission (2002-2004)
- Lokur Committee (1965)
Source: The Print
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:
1. PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.
2. A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.
3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.
4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
There are only 75 PVTGs officially notified in the country.