Innocence

"My qualifications and ability does not matter but my age - perception and discrimination did" says Jiten Ram Manjhi (ex CM of Bihar). He was born into a musahar community and grew up catching rats. The reports also said that Manjhi's career represented the most extra - ordinary rise of any Schedule caste politician in the history of India . Rhe Indian society is divided into Jatis or casts in which there are certain communities which have their distinct cultures and religion and have traditional social culture. These communities are called Schedule Tribe in the Constitution. The scheduled Tribe Act 1989 an act of the Parliament of India enacted to prevent against scheduled Tribe. The act probably known as POA ( Prevention of Atrocities). Article 366 of the Constitution of India refers to Schedules Tribe as those communities who are scheduled in accordance with article 342.
This article states that only those communities who have been declared as such by the President through an initial public notification or through a subsequent amending Act of parliament will be considered to be Scheduled Tribe. The Constitution of India incorporates several special provisions of education and economic interest of schedule tribe and their protection from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. These objectives are sought to be achieved through a strategy known as the Tribal Sub- Plan Strategy, which are adopted at the beginning of 5 year plan. Following Measures are prescribed in the Constitution for the welfare of Scheduled Tribe.
• According to Article 19 the state can impose reasonable restrictions on the freedom of movement in the interest of ST.
• According to Article 46 it directs to protect the educational interest.
• According to Article 330 ,332 and 334 , the seats are reserved in the Parliament and State legislatures in favor of ST in the proportion of population.
• According to 5th and 6th schedules makes special provisions for the administration & welfare of ST.
• 85th amendment of the Constitution restores reservation in the promotion in Government jobs to members of ST. However generally, the Tribal community are economically, educationally, and politically backward , as compared to the Non -Tribal people. Some common problems facing by them are poverty & exploitation, technically backward, socio-culturaly handicap.
In some places tribals are meant to be servants only, such as the Doms and Koltas of UP, serves the upper class families even today. Most of them are bounded because they have been unable to return the loan which they had taken from the moneylenders. Situation of sympathy does not arises for ST because they are unable to return the money quickly.
About 20% of total Tribal population are in north Indian states. According to 2011 census the population of ST was 8.4 crore and about 8.2% of total population. The literacy rate of total population is 64.84% and 47.10% of Tribal community. Although the no. Is good but it can be in papers only. Who knows?
' we have social welfare school which provide education upto class 12. We were taught only local languages. When I was in my school, I feel so relax and after stepping our out of the school our real journey begins , nobody to guide you because you are most likely to be the only candidate to complete this much education. Me and many like me gets discriminated in the basis of caste system. - said a ST Student '.
Although many changes have taken place since 1952. Still there is a urgent need to review the performance regarding implementation of the Rights of Schedule Tribe. The Tribal people have paid and are still paying the prize for the developing India. Although the Act was to free Indian society from blind and irrational traditional beliefs and to establish a unbias society. But are we changing aur mindset. A big answer to solve?