Addressing Marginality

India has a significant tribal population, and they constitute 8.6 per cent ( Ministry of Tribal Affairs 2024 ) of the total population of India. Even though tribals may be a minority, they are an important part of India’s identity. There is enormous diversity among tribals in India, and it is in terms of culture, language, tradition, ecological settings, livelihoods, social stratification and level of development. Tribals are spread across the country, but their distribution is not uniform. The eastern, central and western regions of India cover the majority of India’s tribals. Though numerically there may not be many tribes in the Northeastern part of India, but several states in the region are tribal-majority states. The states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal cover the majority of tribals in India. There are 5 per cent tribals in the Southern region of India ( Ministry of Tribal Affairs 2024 ).