RAS question
Consider the following statements about Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Rajasthan: 1. STs constitute approximately 13.5% of Rajasthan's total population (Census 2011). 2. Banswara has the highest percentage of ST population among all Rajasthan districts. 3. The Bhil tribe is the largest ST group in Rajasthan. 4. Dungarpur has a higher absolute ST population than Banswara. Which of the above statements are CORRECT?
Correct answer: (A) 1 and 2 only.
In Rajasthan, Census 2011 supports only statements 1 and 2: Scheduled Tribes form about 13.5% of the state population and Banswara has the highest ST share among districts.
Explanation
Census 2011 records Rajasthan's Scheduled Tribe population at 92.38 lakh out of a total population of 6.85 crore, which is about 13.5%. The district PCA figures also show Banswara with 13.73 lakh ST persons out of 17.97 lakh people, roughly 76%, the highest ST share among Rajasthan districts; Dungarpur is lower in both share and absolute ST population. The trap is statement 3: the A-11 Scheduled Tribe table records Mina at 43,45,528 and the Bhil group at 41,00,264, so Bhil is not the largest ST group in Rajasthan. Therefore, statements 1 and 2 alone are correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) It includes statement 3, but Census A-11 records Mina above the Bhil group, so Bhil is not the largest ST group in Rajasthan.
- (C) It omits the true statewide 13.5% ST share and also includes statements 3 and 4, both of which are contradicted by the Census tables.
- (D) It includes statement 4, although Banswara's absolute ST population is higher than Dungarpur's, and it also treats the Bhil-largest claim as correct.
Concept
This tests demographic distribution under Rajasthan human geography: statewide ST share, district concentration and tribe-wise composition. RAS repeats it because southern Rajasthan's tribal belt and Census 2011 figures are standard factual anchors for geography and social-structure questions.