Financial development and fertility in South Asia

Abstract

Tribe is otherwise known as Adivasi. A tribe is referred as a exiting group before the development of or outside of states. Like that “Adivasi” is a generic term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups believed to be the aboriginal population, a substantial indigenous minority, of India. Over a period of time, unlike the terms "aborigines" or "tribes", the word "Adivasi" has also developed a connotation of past autonomy which was disrupted during the British colonial period in India and which has not been restored. It should be noted that a tribe is a group of distinct people which is dependent on their land for their livelihood also who are largely self-sufficient and not integrated into the national society. In India the tribal societies are particularly seen in ststes of Odisha, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhara Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnatak, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharakhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and northern states. The Adivasi are officially recognized by the Indian Government as the “Scheduled Tribe” in the fifth schedule of the constitution of India. There are various types of tribal population seen in India. The population of the schedule tribes in India was 104,281,034 as per 2011 census. They occupy around 15 percent of the total geographical area of the country, hills and valleys. There are broadly 250 tribal groups and 225 Dalits existing in India. They are speaking 105 languages. Though it is clear that there is also seen various variation among the tribal community also. Commercial forestry, mining and intensive agriculture have proved destructive to the forests that have endured spread of these activities for many centuries. Many smaller tribal groups are quite sensitive to ecological degradation caused by such exploitation and resultant modernization. In this study, this chapter presents the demographic profile of tribal community of India and Odisha.