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Glossary
| # | Term (English) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scheduled Caste (SC) | Castes notified under Article 341; historically subjected to untouchability | Constitutional category |
| 2 | Scheduled Tribe (ST) | Tribes notified under Article 342; inhabit forests/hills; constitutional protections | Constitutional category |
| 3 | Untouchability | Practice of caste-based discrimination; abolished by Article 17 | Foundational concept |
| 4 | Atrocity (PoA Act) | Any of 47 listed offences against SC/ST under PoA Act 1989 | Legal definition |
| 5 | 5th Schedule | Constitutional schedule governing tribal areas in 10 states; Tribal Advisory Council | Administrative framework |
| 6 | 6th Schedule | Autonomous District Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram | NE tribal governance |
| 7 | PESA | Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act 1996; Gram Sabha empowerment in tribal areas | Tribal self-governance |
| 8 | Forest Rights Act (FRA) | 2006 Act recognising individual and community forest rights of tribals | Tribal land rights |
| 9 | PVTG | Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group; 75 groups with most primitive features; PM-JANMAN 2023 | Tribal welfare |
| 10 | Land Alienation | Loss of tribal land to non-tribals through sale, fraud, or development projects | Tribal problem |
| 11 | Hypergamy | Practice of women marrying into higher social group; common in upper castes | Marriage sociology |
| 12 | Mandal Commission | B.P. Mandal Commission (1980); identified 3,743 OBC castes; recommended 27% reservation | OBC reservation |
| 13 | OBC | Other Backward Classes; ~52% of India's population; 27% reservation since 1990 | Reservation |
| 14 | NCSC | National Commission for Scheduled Castes; Article 338; monitors SC safeguards | Constitutional body |
| 15 | NCST | National Commission for STs; Article 338A; can recommend Presidential Rule | Constitutional body |
| 16 | NCBC | National Commission for Backward Classes; Article 338B (102nd Amendment 2018) | OBC governance |
| 17 | Devadasi | Women dedicated to deity in temples; sexual exploitation under religion; banned by PoA Act | Social evil |
| 18 | Manual Scavenging | Manual removal of human excreta; banned 2013; mostly Dalit women; NAMASTE scheme 2022 | Dalit dignity |
| 19 | EMRS | Eklavya Model Residential School; ST children; 740 sanctioned; Navodaya equivalent | Tribal education |
| 20 | TRIFED | Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation (1987); markets tribal art and forest produce | Tribal economy |
| 21 | Moha | Trial marriage system of Garasia tribe before formal marriage | Tribal custom (PYQ) |
| 22 | MMR | Maternal Mortality Rate; 97/lakh live births (SRS 2018–20); target 70 by 2030 | Women's health |
| 23 | POSH Act | Prevention, Protection & Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013 | Women's safety |
| 24 | Nari Shakti Vandan | 128th Constitutional Amendment 2023; 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and Assemblies | Women's political rights |
| 25 | Van Dhan Vikas Kendra | 2018; tribal cooperatives for value addition of minor forest produce; 50 members each | Tribal livelihood |
Sources: RPSC 2026 Official Syllabus; Census 2011; NFHS-5 (2019–21); PLFS Annual Report 2022–23; NCRB Crime in India 2022; NITI Aayog National MPI 2023; Ministry of Tribal Affairs Annual Report 2023; Ministry of WCD Annual Report 2022–23; PoA Act 1989 and 2015 Amendment; PESA Act 1996; Forest Rights Act 2006.