Scheduled Tribes in West Bengal
Encyclopedia
Scheduled Tribes in West Bengal refers to scheduled tribes in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

.

As per the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, the following were listed as scheduled tribes in West Bengal: 1. Asur, 2. Baiga, 3. Badia, Bediya, 4. Bhumji, 5. Bhutia, Sherpa, Toto, Dukpa, Kagatay, Tibetan, Yolmo, 6. Birhor, 7. Birjia, 8. Chakma, 9. Chero, 10. Chik Baraik, 11. Garo, 12. Gond, 13. Gorait, 14. Hajang, 15. Ho, 16. Karmali, 17. Kharwar, 18. Khond, 19. Kisan, 20. Kora, 21. Korwa, 22. Lepcha, 23. Lodha, Kheria, Kharia, 24. Lohara, Lohra, 25. Magh, 26. Mahali, 27. Mahli, 28. Mal Pahariya, 29. Mech, 30. Mru, 31. Munda, 32. Nagesia, 33. Oraon, 34. Parhaiya, 35. Rabha, 36. Santal, 37. Sauria Paharia, 38. Savar, 39. Limbu (Subba), and 40. Tamang.

As per 2001 census scheduled tribes numbering 4,406,794 persons constituted 5.5 per cent of the total population of the state. Santals constitute more than half (51.8 per cent).of the total ST population of the state. Oraon
Oraon
The Oraon उरांव or Kurukh कुड़ुख tribe , also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh...

s (14 per cent), Mundas
Munda people
The Munda are tribal people of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.They are found across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Assam states of India, and into parts of Bangladesh...

 (7.8 per cent), Bhumij
Bhumij
Bhumij are a tribal/Adivasi people living primarily in the Indian states of West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand, mostly in the old Singhbhum district...

 (7.6 per cent) and
Kora (3.2 per cent) are the other major STs having sizeable population. Along with
Santal, they constitute nearly 85 per cent of the state’s total ST population. The Lodhas
Lodha people
Lodha people are a tribal/Adivasi people living primarily in the Indian states of West Bengal and Orissa, mostly in the Paschim Medinipur district. A section of the Lodha has converted to Islam, and form a distinct community of Lodha Muslims.-Demographics:...

, Mahali
Mahali
Mahle is the name of a religion of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is a indigenous scheduled of the state of West Bengal and Orissa. They mostly reside in areas adjoining to Santhal Parganas in Orissa and West Bengal. Mahle people forms a different tribe which is clubbed together with the Munda tribe...

s, Bhutia
Bhutia
The Bhutia are ethnic Tibetans who speak Sikkimese, a Tibetan dialect fairly mutually intelligible to standard Tibetan. In 2001, the Bhutia numbered around 70,300...

s, Bedias, and Savars
Sabar (people)
The Sabar people are one of the scheduled tribes in India who live mainly in Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal...

 are the remaining STs, and having population of one
per cent or more. The rest of the STs are very small in population size.
Population and proportion of ten major STs in West Bengal, as per 2001 census, are given below:
Sl No Scheduled Tribe Population Percentage of
the total
ST population
1 Santal 2,280,540 51.8
2 Oraon 617,138 14
3 Munda 341,542 7.8
4 Bhumij 336,436 7.6
5 Kora 142,789 3.2
6 Lodha 84,966 1.9
7 Mahali 76,102 1.7
8 Bhutia 60,091 1.4
9 Bedia 55,979 1.3
10 Sabar 43,599 1


More than half of the total ST population of the state is concentrated in Medinipur, Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri District
Jalpaiguri district is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between 26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes...

, Purulia
Purulia District
Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...

, and Bardhaman
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...

 districts. Of the remaining districts, Bankura
Bankura District
Bankura district is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division in the Indian state of West Bengal. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial...

, Malda
Malda district
Malda district is a district of West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km north of Kolkata, the state capital. Mango and silk are notable products of this district. The special variety of mango produced in this region, popularly known by the name of the district, is exported across the world and...

, Uttar Dinajpur, and Dakshin Dinajpur have sizable ST population.
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