❖ According to the 2011 Census, there are 36 sub-groups of tribes in the Tamilnadu State.
❖ The main tribes among them are Malayali, Toda, Kurumbas, Paniyan, Irular, Kattunayakan, Kanikkar, Palliyan, and Kadar.
❖ Of these, Toda, Kota, Kurumbas, Kattunayakan, Paniyan, and Irular have been designated as ‘Primitive Tribes’.
❖ The combined Scheduled Tribes population of the State, as per the 2011 Census, is 7.94 lakh, representing 1.10 per cent of the total population of the State (which is 721 lakh).
❖ Out of the 7.94 lakh tribal population, 50.5 per cent are males and 49.5 percent are females.
❖ The State Planning Commission (SPC) conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of government schemes in the densely-populated tribal districts of Salem, Kallakurichi, and Tiruvannamalai in the Eastern Ghats.
❖ It found persistent challenges pertaining to basic infrastructure, transportation, and education.
❖ There was a need to increase both the frequency and the number of government bus services.
❖ It had also found that the State government’s free bus travel for women scheme was not available in this hilly region.
❖ There is a need to establish more schools and upgrade existing high schools into higher secondary schools to reduce dropout rates and increase enrolment.
❖ In the tribal area, there are no government or private polytechnic and arts and science colleges, except for the government ITI.
❖ Seasonal migration of entire families to other states for employment has also led to the discontinuation of their education.
❖ The study also found that over 97 per cent of households possess both a voter identity card and an Aadhaar card.
❖ Approximately 10 per cent of households have a savings account at a post office.
❖ More than 85 per cent have an account with a commercial bank.
❖ Over 60 per cent of households hold community certificates, whereas only 15 per cent have tribal identity cards.
❖ People were well aware of old and popular government welfare schemes but they were less aware of new schemes.