National Commission for Scheduled Tribes: Constitution, Role and Responsibilities

Drive two hours out of Mumbai towards Palghar or Thane district and you reach villages where people belong to Warli, Katkari, Mahadev Koli and other tribal communities, living on forest land that the rest of the country sees as a road project or a mine. Their rights over land, forest and culture are written into the Constitution, but written rights need someone watching how they are applied. Article 338A creates that watchdog: the National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes.

In two minutes

The National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes is a constitutional body under Article 338A, inserted in 2003, that monitors safeguards for Scheduled Tribes, inquires into complaints, advises on their development and reports to the President, with the powers of a civil court when investigating or inquiring.

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