Tribals in Andhra Pradesh are fighting for tribal status for their villages.
KAKINADA: 554 villages in Andhra Pradesh, including 240 in Srikakulam district, 182 in Vizianagaram, 91 in Visakhapatnam, 40 in Kakinada, and one in Eluru district, are eligible for tribal status, so they can be included in the 5th Schedule to avail of its benefits.
However, people other than tribals in these villages are hesitant to get their properties declared as tribal due to the risk of their properties falling under the 1/70 Act. This means that the land in that particular village cannot be sold to non-tribal people.
However, tribals are pressuring the government to include the villages in the tribal category.
Three Girijana Sanghams have been fighting this case in the AP High Court since 2021.
According to Inapuram Suryanarayana, legal advisor to the Adivasi Mahasabha, the High Court directed the state government to resolve the issue within four weeks in April 2022. Since this directive has not been implemented, the Adivasi Mahasabha has filed a writ petition in the High Court in 2025.
Giving background, Suryanarayana said that in 1980, the AP government sent a proposal to the central government to include 40 villages in Andhra Pradesh in the 5th Schedule and declare them tribal villages. However, the central government has not yet responded to the issue. Meanwhile, 19 more villages have emerged in Kakinada district, where the tribal population exceeds 50%.
On December 3, 2025, Kakinada District Collector Sagili Shan Mohan submitted details to the government lawyer so that the matter can be raised in the High Court.
