Published Paper Details:

The Aimol, a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur, is a numerically small community with a population of 3,902 as per the 2011 Census. This paper examines key demographic indicators of the Aimol tribe using secondary data from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses. The objectives are to analyse the decadal growth rate, sex ratio, child sex ratio, literacy rate, and workforce participation rate. Results show a decadal growth rate of 2.12 per cent, compared with the Manipur ST average of 21.8 per cent, indicating demographic stagnation. Sex ratio stands at 976, and child sex ratio at 943. The literacy rate is 71.2 per cent, with a gender gap of 17.6 per cent. Workforce participation rate is 41.3 per cent, with 68.2 per cent of workers engaged as cultivators. The study highlights slow growth, gender disparity in education, and agrarian dependence. Targeted interventions under the Tribal Sub-Plan are suggested for female literacy and skill diversification. The findings provide baseline data for policy and future research on micro-tribes. Keywords: Aimol Tribe, Demography, Census 2011, Sex Ratio, Literacy, Manipur, Scheduled Introduction: Northeast India is home to over 200 Scheduled Tribes with diverse demographic characteristics. Manipur has 34 recognised STs, constituting 40.9 per cent of the state's population, as per the Census 2011. While major tribes are well documented, micro-tribes remain data-deficient. The Aimol are a Scheduled Tribe notified under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. Ethnologue 2024 classifies the Aimol language as endangered, with 3,900 speakers. They are concentrated in the Tengnoupal (earlier Chandel), Churachandpur, and Senapati districts of Manipur. Existing literature on Aimol is largely ethnographic. Singh 1998 provides a cultural profile, but demographic data is limited to 2001. The post-2001 demographic transition of the Aimol remains unexamined. Census 2011 provides disaggregated ST data in A-11 and ST-14 tables, enabling micro-level analysis. Understanding the demographic profile of small tribes is crucial for allocating Tribal Sub-Plan resources and implementing NEP 2020. Hence, the present study examines the demographic profile of the Aimol tribe using the 2011 Census. The study fills the research gap on micro-tribes and provides an empirical baseline for policymakers.