NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 2003: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs was created with the objective of placing more focused attention on integrated socioeconomic development of the most underprivileged section of Indian society, the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in a coordinated and planned manner. India has the largest concentration of tribal people anywhere in the world except perhaps in Africa. The tribals are children of nature and their lifestyle is conditioned by the ecosystem. India, with a variety of ecosystems, presents a varied tribal population throughout its length and breadth. The areas inhabited by the tribals constitute a significant part of the underdeveloped area of the country. The tribals live mostly in isolated villages or hamlets. They were never hunted down and slaughtered, or enslaved, by the Hindu kingdoms adjacent to their areas. Rather, they were allowed to continue living as they had from prehistoric times. A smaller portion of their population has now settled in permanent villages as well as towns and cities. On the whole, as per rough estimates, the prominent tribal areas constitute about 15 percent of the total geographical area of the country. According to the 1991 census the population of Scheduled Tribals in the country is 67. 8 million, which is 8.1 percent of the total population of the country. There are an estimated 533 tribes in India. This extensive website at “source” details the Ministry, Programs, Grants, Research, Publications and Films, as well as providing abundant information about the tribals.
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