Tag: marginalisation

The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognizes the rights of Adivasis to their homestead, cultivable and grazing land. This Act grants legal recognition to the rights of traditional forest dwelling communities, partially correcting the injustice caused by the forest laws. It also gives the opportunity to the public to conserve forests.

Article 17 of the Indian constitution says that the untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbiddable. The main goal of this article is to remove caste discrimination which is prevalent still in the country. Discrimination on grounds of caste is punishable by the court of law.

In order to indicate to the government that untouchability was still being practiced and in a hideous manner, Dalit group demanded a new law that would list the various sorts of violence against Dalits and prescribe stringent punishment for those who indulge in them.  For that The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Act, 1989 was passed by the Government of India to safeguard Dalits from humiliation. The law seeks to both punish as well as influence the way people think.

Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 has come to rescue of marginalized groups when they were treated badly by majority communities. The SC and ST (prevention of atrocities) Act was passed in the year 1989. This was enacted to prevent atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Adivasis – the term literally means ‘original inhabitants’ – are communities who lived, and often continue to live, in close association with forests. Around 8 per cent of India’s population is Adivasi.

Adivasi societies are particularly prominent in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and some north-eastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Many smaller tribal groups are quite sensitive to ecological degradation caused by modernisation.

Scheduled Tribes are also known as Adivasis. These are the designated group of people who are disadvantaged indigenous people in India. Scheduled Tribes comprise about  8.6 percent of India’s population. 

Abolition of untouchability (Article 17) was mentioned under Fundamental Rights which are included in Part-III of Indian constitution. The article says that the untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbiddable. The main goal of this article is to remove caste discrimination which is prevalent still in the country. Discrimination on grounds of caste is punishable by the court of law.

Article 330 provided that seats shall be reserved in Lok Sabha for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and article 332 provides reservation of seats for them in the State Assemblies. Initially, this reservation was to last for ten years only. Article 334, as originally enacted, provided that these provisions relating to the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall cease to have an effect on the expiry of a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution. The period fixed by this article was extended after every ten years through constitutional amendments in 1960, 1969, 1980 and 1990.

Scheduled tribes are also called as Adivasis. These people mostly depend on forests for their survival especially by selling forest products like honey, gum, fruits etc. Present day, problems faced by Adivasis are militarization, urbanisation, construction of dams, industrialisation which cause deforestation. Unlawful grabbing of tribal lands has been reduced these days.