By which of the following Act did the terms ‘Scheduled Tribes’ and “Scheduled Castes” come into being?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Government India Act 1935.
NCERT (2025-26): “Colonialism and Caste … The administration also took an interest in the welfare of downtrodden castes, referred to as the ‘depressed classes’ at that time. It was as part of these efforts that the Government of India Act of 1935 was passed which gave legal recognition to the lists or ‘schedules’ of castes and tribes marked out for special treatment by the state. This is how the terms ‘Scheduled Tribes’ and the ‘Scheduled Castes’ came into being. Castes at the bottom of the hierarchy that suffered severe discrimination, including all the so-called ‘untouchable’ castes, were included among the Scheduled Castes.…” |