Analysis of socio-economic status of schedule tribes in Andhra Pradesh

The present paper aims to investigate the socio-economic status of scheduled tribes in Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh state. Multi-stage random sampling technique was employed for the study, primary data was used with the help of pre-structured questionnaire for 89 sample respondents during the year 2009, further the results were interpreted with help of tabular analysis. The results reveals that, more than 94 per cent of the sample households are male headed, 83 per cent of the heads of the sample households are agricultural labour, as majority respondents opined that it was major source of income and as significant for livelihood in the study area. Further, the study indicates that, among gender wise classification only 927 females for one thousand males. It was important to note that there was decline in sex ratio in this community. However, this may not indicate that, there is female infanticide in the study area but indicate the customary son preference in the study area. The study also depicts that, among source of the incomes for the sample households, farming was the primary occupation which contributes for more than 80 per cent of the sample households, there income range was Rs.6000 to Rs.10000 rupees per annum followed by wage labor. The study also makes an attempt to analyze the outstanding loans among the sample respondents in the study area. The results revealed that, even though the amount of loans seems to be less when compared to their incomes. it is very disheartening to state that institutional sources are serving on 3 per cent of the sample households. This belief is making the scheduled tribes to approach the disloyal private money lenders for their credit requirement who charge high interests rates especially for tribals and uneducated people to exploit their money. Hence the government should take inventiveness in order to promote the finical stability among the schedule tribal by offering better banking service  by transfer of technology towards the economic development of the individual level and rural community as a whole for the development, as well all know that, development beings within the rural villages itself.