Scheduled Tribes

October 14, 2026 11:16 AM

India rejects reference in UN Rapporteur’s report on Indigenous Peoples’ rights

India has rejected what it termed an “unsubstantiated reference” to the country in a report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, citing official data on land-title claims under the Forest Rights Act and highlighting constitutional safeguards and welfare initiatives for tribal communities. India delivered its statement during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee, where First Secretary Anuj Swarup addressed iss...

August 8, 2025 3:14 PM

India moves towards inclusivity through tribal empowerment, budget tripled in 10 years

The annual budget of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has nearly tripled, going from ₹4,497.96 crore to ₹13,000 crore, and total tribal spending across 42 ministries grew five-fold to ₹1,24,908 crore under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) both in the past decade. In 2013-14, the tribal spending across ministries was ₹21,525.36 crore. DAPST encompasses over 200 schemes across key sectors including education, health, agriculture, skill development, livelihoods and sa...

July 22, 2025 5:19 PM

PM Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan: Massive Development Scheme to Remake India’s Tribal Heartland

India’s most extensive tribal development initiative, the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM JUGA), has reached over 5 crore tribal citizens across 63,000 villages since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2024, from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. With a financial outlay of ₹79,156 crore, the scheme covers 549 districts-accounting for nearly 71% of the country-and is implemented through coordinated efforts of 17 line ministries. This initiative was approved by the ...

September 6, 2024 4:33 PM

SC issues notice to Bihar Government over RJD plea on Bihar reservations

The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Bihar Government and other relevant parties in response to a plea filed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The RJD's petition challenges a recent Patna High Court order that invalidated the state government's amendments aimed at increasing reservations for Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, and Scheduled Castes in jobs and educational institutions. A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Ma...

September 16, 2024 4:46 PM

Supreme Court rules state governments have power to sub-classify SCs, STs

In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of India ruled on Thursday that state governments have the power to sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for the purpose of reservation. The seven-judge bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, delivered a 6:1 majority verdict overturning the previous E.V. Chinnaiah judgement, which had held such sub-classification impermissible. Besides CJI Chandrachud, other judges on the bench were Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M...