(University of Hyderabad, 2008)
BABU MALLA V ARAPU, RAM; Murty, M.L.K.
India bas the second largest concentratIOn of tribal populatIOn, after that of the Afhcan
contment Trlbals are the 'autochthonous' people of the land who are beheved to be
the earliest settlers m the IndIan perunsuJa (Veona 1990 1·7) They have been
neglected In IsolatIOn all th rough the centunes They are generally called as adrvaSIS
Implymg 'abongmals' or 'ongmal mhabltants' The trlbals were Included under
'arumlsts', 'forest trtbes', 'hIli tnbes' and 'depressed classes' up to 1921 census
reports Later, the indian franchIse committee accorded a separate nomenclature for
tnba1 groups m the census reports of 1931 as 'primitIve tribes', III 1941 as 'tribes' and
after 1951 census onwards as 'scheduled trIbes' (STs) (Verma 1996 10·14)