The primary administrative guidelines used by the Government of India to assess whether a community qualifies for ST status were established by the Lokur Committee in 1965. Five distinct criteria

• Indications of Primitive Traits: Evidence of an ancient, pre-agrarian, or traditional lifestyle and technology.
• Distinctive Culture: Unique linguistic traits, customs, social structures, religious beliefs, and artistic traditions that distinguish them from surrounding populations.
• Geographical Isolation: Habitation in well-defined, remote, or inaccessible terrains such as deep forests, hills, or undulating plateaus.
• Shyness of Contact: A historical tendency toward self-isolation or hesitation to interact with the larger, mainstream community.
• Backwardness: Pervasive educational, infrastructural, and socioeconomic marginalization relative to the regional or national average.

Source: The Indian Express