Scheduled Tribe Status, Health and Socio-Economic Conditions: An Exploratory Study of the Narikuravar Community in India

Abstract

Narikuravar community is a nomadic tribal group in Tamil Nadu. They have historically faced socio-economic and health challenges. The need for this study arises from the absence of holistic research covering demographic, socio-economic, social, cultural, civic, and financial inclusion aspects, and from the lack of studies exploring the community’s awareness of ST benefits and their effect on livelihood improvement. An exploratory research design was adopted, using snowball sampling to collect primary data from 240 respondents across Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Namakkal, and Cuddalore districts of Tamil Nadu. Findings show that 56.25% of respondents were female, and 41% were aged between 30 and 41 years. Education levels were very low, with nearly 73% having no or only primary/secondary education. About 46.67% were engaged in small-scale self-employment, largely due to lack of education, and only 45.83% lived in pucca houses. Most respondents resided in rural areas (61.67%), belonged to nuclear families (59.17%), and 43% reported facing social discrimination, especially in rural areas. Additionally, 45.42% consumed alcohol or smoked, indicating poor health awareness. Civic rights such as voting and ration cards were widely held, but bank account ownership and financial literacy were limited. Chi-square analysis showed significant relationships between education, livelihood, area of residence, and perceived social discrimination. Binary logistic regression indicates strong relationship between ‘Awareness of Scheduled Tribe benefits’, ‘Area of Residence’ and ‘Education’. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions in education, livelihood training, financial inclusion, and anti-discrimination efforts to support the sustainable development of the Narikuravar community.