{"id":118635,"date":"2026-08-11T17:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=118635"},"modified":"2026-08-11T17:58:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:28:02","slug":"tribes-of-andhra-pradesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tribes-of-andhra-pradesh\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes of Andhra Pradesh, Major List, Development Initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Tribes of Andhra Pradesh<\/strong> form an important part of the State\u2019s social and cultural landscape. According to the 2011 Census, the tribal population of Andhra Pradesh was 27.39 lakh, accounting for 5.53% of the State population. Tribal communities are spread across forest, hill, river and plain areas. Major groups include Koya, Konda Reddi, Savara, Jatapu, Gadaba, Konda Dora, Chenchu, Yanadi, Yerukula and Lambada communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Tribes of Andhra Pradesh<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<strong> Tribes of Andhra Pradesh<\/strong> show considerable diversity in language, livelihood, settlement and cultural practices. Tribal regions can be grouped into Koya-Konda Reddi, Khond-Savara, Chenchu and plain area regions. The Godavari region is associated with Koyas and Konda Reddis. Northern districts have Savara, Jatapu, Gadaba and Konda Dora communities. Yanadi and Yerukula groups are widely found in plain areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Tribes of Andhra Pradesh Features<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The major highlighting features of the Tribes of Andhra Pradesh has been listed below:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Cultural traditions:<\/strong> Tribal communities preserve distinctive festivals, dances, religious practices and traditional institutions. Dimsa is particularly associated with tribal communities of northern Andhra, while festivals such as Kandi Pandaga and Pillipandaga remain culturally significant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Social institutions:<\/strong> Gadabas maintain a traditional village council headed by a Kulapedda. Desari or Pujaria performs religious duties, while marriage customs include negotiation and mutual choice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Literacy:<\/strong> Literacy among tribal communities remains a development concern. The recorded literacy rate for the Nellore tribal population is 40.49%, highlighting the continuing need for educational support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Settlement pattern:<\/strong> Tribal settlements occur across forests, hills, riverbanks and plain areas. Yanadis commonly inhabit river and canal banks, while several northern groups live in hill slopes and forest interiors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Economic transition:<\/strong> Traditional livelihoods are gradually changing. Yanadis combine fishing, agricultural labour and small farming, while Yerukulas and Nakkalas increasingly travel outside their local areas for commercial activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Distribution:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Visakhapatnam tribal groups:<\/strong> Major communities include Bagata, Gadaba, Kammara, Konda Dora, Kotia, Khond, Mali, Manne Dora, Mukha Dora, Reddi Dora, Porja, Valmiki, Goud and Kulia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Northern Andhra concentration:<\/strong> Srikakulam and Vizianagaram have important populations of Savara, Jatapu, Gadaba and Konda Dora communities. These groups are strongly associated with hill and forest environments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Godavari tribal region:<\/strong> East Godavari has Koya, Konda Reddi, Kammara and Konda Dora communities. West Godavari includes Koya, Konda Reddi, Yerukula and Yanadi populations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>List of Major Tribes of Andhra Pradesh<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The major tribal communities of Andhra Pradesh have distinct geographical concentrations, traditional occupations, languages, festivals and social practices across the State.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Koya<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Koyas mainly inhabit areas along the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/godavari-river-system\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Godavari River<\/strong><\/a> in East Godavari and West Godavari districts.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhudevi Panduga is an important festival dedicated to the Earth Goddess.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Konda Reddi<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Konda Reddis mainly live in interior forest and hill areas of East Godavari and West Godavari.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/shifting-cultivation\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Shifting cultivation<\/strong><\/a> remains important, while Telugu is their mother tongue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Savara<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savaras are concentrated in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram and are also found in hill areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They speak their own dialect, associated with the Mundari linguistic family.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savaras depend on agriculture, horticulture, Podu cultivation, terrace <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/farming-system\/\" target=\"_blank\">farming<\/a><\/strong> and minor forest produce.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They cultivate Red Gram, Ragi, Jowar and pulses, while rice remains their staple food.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Jatapu<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jatapus mainly reside in forest and hill areas of Vizianagaram, especially GLPuram, Kurupam and Komarada.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They constitute 44% of the district\u2019s total tribal population.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jatapus traditionally practise shifting cultivation or Podu cultivation. Red Gram, Ragi, Jowar, Bajra and other millets are cultivated, while Tamarind, Gum and hill brooms are collected.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Gadaba<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gadabas are concentrated in Saluru, Pachipenta, JMvalasa and Parvathipuram.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their population is 19,164, representing 9.5% of the district\u2019s ST population.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gadaba is their traditional dialect.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gadabas work mainly as cultivators and agricultural labourers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those living in hilly areas practise Podu cultivation and grow Ragi, Red Gram and Niger.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Konda Dora<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Konda Doras are mainly found in Saluru, Pachipenta and Makkuva, besides Parvathipuram and other tribal areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/agriculture-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Agriculture<\/strong><\/a> and fishing are important livelihood activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Chenchu<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chenchus traditionally inhabit the Nallamalai hills across Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hunting, gathering roots, tubers and honey historically formed important parts of their economy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Yanadi<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yanadis mainly settle along river, canal and tank areas because fishing is an important livelihood.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their traditional occupations also include agricultural labour, scavenging and small scale farming.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yanadis are traditionally divided into Reddi Yanadi, Adavi Yanadi, Paki Yanadi and Challa Yanadi groups based on occupation and dietary practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Yerukula<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yerukula communities are distributed across different areas and traditionally depend on small businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many members travel to other States to conduct small scale commercial activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Nakkala<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nakkala communities traditionally manufacture small toys and sell them on city platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some members travel to other States to market these toys and earn livelihoods.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Lambada<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lambadas traditionally lived in separate hamlets called tandas near hills and pastures.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They were formerly nomadic, but many have become settled cultivators, with cattle rearing as a secondary occupation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Tribes of Andhra Pradesh Development Measures<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Development measures for the Tribes of Andhra Pradesh focus on education, livelihoods, infrastructure, PVTG support, forest produce marketing and preservation of tribal culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>DAPST:<\/strong> Development Action Plan for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/scheduled-tribes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Scheduled Tribes<\/a><\/strong> requires 41 Ministries and Departments to allocate a prescribed share of their budgets for tribal development covering education, health, roads, housing, irrigation and employment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/article-275-of-the-indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Article 275<\/a>(1):<\/strong> These 100% Central grants support Scheduled Areas and tribal welfare through infrastructure in education, health, drinking water, sanitation, skill development and livelihoods according to local requirements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Dharti Aaba Abhiyan:<\/strong> Launched on 2 October 2024, the initiative covers 63,843 villages through 25 interventions of 17 Ministries. It has an outlay of \u20b979,156 crore.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>PM JANMAN:<\/strong> Launched on 15 November 2023, PM JANMAN has an approximate \u20b924,000 crore outlay for PVTGs, covering housing, water, sanitation, education, healthcare, nutrition, roads, telecom and livelihoods.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>PMJVM:<\/strong> Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission supports tribal livelihoods through Minimum Support Price for selected Minor Forest Produce, value addition, infrastructure, sustainable collection and better market access.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>EMRS:<\/strong> Eklavya Model Residential Schools provide quality residential education to tribal children. The scheme targets 728 schools nationally, with an intended benefit for around 3.5 lakh ST students.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Scholarships:<\/strong> Pre Matric scholarships support eligible ST students in Classes IX and X, while Post Matric scholarships provide assistance for higher education, including reimbursement of eligible fees and monthly scholarship support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Higher education support:<\/strong> National Overseas Scholarships provide 20 annual awards, including 17 for ST candidates and 3 for PVTGs. National Fellowship provides 750 fellowships annually for higher studies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>PVTG development:<\/strong> Savara and Gadaba communities are identified as <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/particularly-vulnerable-tribal-groups-pvtgs\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups<\/strong><\/a> in the provided reference. Development measures therefore require focused education, livelihood, health and infrastructure interventions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Tribal education:<\/strong> Government programmes support tribal welfare residential schools and ashram schools. Savara language teachers have also been provided in selected primary schools to strengthen learning through the community\u2019s own language.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Cultural preservation:<\/strong> The Tribal Cultural Research and Training Mission is working on documenting tribal artistes, preserving traditional musical instruments and supporting training for emerging artistes and instructors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Tribal research:<\/strong> Support to Tribal Research Institutes promotes research, documentation, tribal museums, preservation of art and artefacts, cultural festivals and exchange programmes to protect tribal heritage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Livelihood protection:<\/strong> Better marketing of forest products, value addition and <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/minimum-support-price-msp\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Minimum Support Price<\/strong><\/a> mechanisms can improve returns from products such as Tamarind, Gum and other minor forest produce.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>State priority:<\/strong> The State has emphasised quality education, employment opportunities and preservation of tribal traditions. Efforts also include improving residential school infrastructure and seeking wider recognition for tribal art and dance forms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tribes of Andhra Pradesh include Koya, Konda Reddi, Savara, Jatapu, Gadaba, Konda Dora, Chenchu, Yanadi and Lambada, with diverse cultures, livelihoods and welfare initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":118674,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[9479,8973,9478],"class_list":["post-118635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-studies","tag-andhra-pradesh","tag-tribes","tag-tribes-of-andhra-pradesh","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118635"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118647,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118635\/revisions\/118647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}