Explanation
The term minority is most commonly used to refer to communities that are numerically small in relation to the rest of the population. However, it is a concept that goes well beyond numbers. It encompasses issues of power, access to resources and has social and cultural dimensions. The Indian Constitution recognized that the culture of the majority influences the way in which society and government might express themselves.
To be marginalised is to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes and thus not be at the centre of things.
In the social environment too, groups of people or communities may have the experience of being excluded. Their marginalisation can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community. They may also feel marginalised because they are poor, considered to be of low social status and viewed as being less human than others.
Adivasis get caught in a cycle of poverty and deprivation. 45 percent of tribal groups in rural areas and 35 percent in urban areas live below the poverty line. Many tribal children are malnourished. Literacy rates among tribals are also very low.
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.
Adivasis 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 and many of India’s most important mining and industrial centers are located in Adivasi areas.
Forests covered the major part of our country till the nineteenth century and the Adivasis had a deep knowledge of, access to, as well as control over most of these vast tracts at least till the middle of the nineteenth century. This meant that they were not ruled by large states and empires. Instead, often empires heavily depended on Adivasis for the crucial access to forest resources.
From the 1830s onward, Adivasis from Jharkhand and adjoining areas moved in very large numbers to various plantations in India and the world - Mauritius, the Caribbean and even Australia. India’s tea industry became possible with their labour in Assam.
In India, we usually showcase Adivasi communities in particular ways. Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized and the people often wrongly believe that Adivasis are exotic, primitive and backward. Often Adivasis are blamed for their lack of advancement as they are believed to be resistant to change or new ideas.
Groups of people or communities may have the experience of being excluded. Their marginalization can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community. They may also feel marginalized because they are poor, considered to be of low social status and viewed as being less human than others. The government releases various schemes to gain profit through the influence of these people and groups.
The Constitution provides safeguards to religious and linguistic minorities as part of our Fundamental Rights. Though the Constitution of India does not define the word minority and only refers to minorities and speaks of those based on religion or language, the rights of the minorities have been spelt out in the Constitution in detail.
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