Abstract The constitution serves as the cornerstone of a nation’s laws, embodying ideals such equality, justice, liberty, fraternity, and the rights of all its citizens. Among these citizens are the tribal communities, which represent some of the oldest social groups within our land. They maintain unique ways of life, rich cultures and distinct dialects yet often find themselves facing challenges in areas of economic and education. In pursuance of identification and specification in the interest of tribal people, they were designated as Scheduled Tribes (STs) within the framework of Indian Constitution, which outlined Articles 342 and 366(25). Ensuring their autonomy and self-governance, the Constitution provides special provisions for separate tribal administration under the fifth and sixth schedules of articles 244(2) and 275(1). Based on the census of 2011, the scheduled tribes make up 8.6% of the total nation’s population and 59% of the total nation’s literacy rate. The poverty rate of STs is 45.3% below the poverty line in rural areas and 24.1% in urban areas, as per the erstwhile Planning Commission of India, 2013. In this context, the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are assigned as monitoring agencies to implement different policies and welfare schemes for the Scheduled Tribes to eradicate poverty and prevent all forms of social injustice. The research paper aims to analyze the special constitutional provisions for scheduled tribes of India.
Prabin Engleng (2025) studied this question.