Socioeconomic Status of Scheduled Tribes

Social and economic justice, equality of status and opportunities, assurance of the individual’s dignity are insured by the Constitution of India for all the citizens among other things. The constitution of India is enriched with several provisions for schedule castes and schedule tribes to safeguard and promote their cultural, social, educational, and economic interests in order to bring them in the mainstream of the nation. This paper addresses the socioeconomic status of the scheduled tribes in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh State (India). In the sample, the majority of the households is the tribe of Konda Dora. The majority of the sample households in the study area are Hindus and more than 70 percent of the sample population are illiterate. Cultivation is the primary occupation participated by the most heads of the sample households. Income from cultivation supports the majority of the sample population. More than 53 percent of the cultivators have farm income around ₹ 2,000.00 to ₹ 5,000.00. Even though the wage labourers are more in the sample population, the share of income derived from that is less when compared to cultivation. There is a need to put more attention on educational aspects of scheduled tribes, where this only can motivate them for future life.