Missed Scheduled Tribes Status Due To Phonetics, Rajya Sabha Passes Bill For These Chhattisgarh Tribal Communities

The Rajya Sabha successfully passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill 2022 on Tuesday (25 July) to incorporate tribal communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Chhattisgarh.

The bill basically corrects several anomalies in the Hindi and English spellings of many tribal groups who were not given ST status just because of phonetic variations in the local language.

Tabled by Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, the bill was cleared in Lok Sabha in December 2022.

The Bill includes Bhuinya, Bhuiyan, and Bhuyan communities as synonyms of Bharia Bhumia. Additionally, three Devanagari versions of the Pando community were added, and the Dhanuhar and Dhanuwar communities were included.

Furthermore, the bill substitutes "Kond" for "Kondh" in the list, adds the Kisan community and the Saunra and Saonra communities. Lastly, it introduces the Binjhia community as a new entry.

Previously, there were 42 tribal communities, and now there are 43 tribal communities officially recognized under the ST list in Chhattisgarh.

About these communities

The tribal communities constitute around 30 per cent of the total population in Chhattisgarh and are mainly concentrated in the Bastar and Surguja regions of the state.

According to HK Singh Uike, the former secretary of SC/ST Commission Chhattisgarh, the Dhanuhar Dhanuwar and Dhanwar communities are primarily found in Jangir Champa and Bilaspur districts of Chhattisgarh.

The Kisan community, on the other hand, is predominantly located in the Surguja region, mainly in Jashpur and Ambikapur districts.

Uike further mentioned that the Saunra and Saonra communities are mainly concentrated in Janjgir Champa and Mahasamund districts of the state.

The Bharia-Bhumia, Bhuniya, Bhuiyan, Bhuyan, Bharia, and Dhanwar communities can be found in various parts of Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, the Gadba-Gadaba and Gond with Gondh-Kondh communities are primarily located in the Bastar and Durg regions.

Lastly, the Kond community (also known as Kodhaku with Kodaku Nagesia-kisan synonym and Dhangad) is mostly found in the Bilaspur region.

The Binjhias are primarily located in the Surguga region and comprises a population of approximately 50,000.

The effect

The bill has been hailed by Fanindra Bhoi, the state coordinator of Adhikar Vanchit Adivasi Sangharh Samiti, who has been advocating for the rights of these tribal groups since 2003.

According to Bhoi, around 7.5 lakh people will benefit from this inclusion of phonetic variations in the ST list.

Political analysts view this move as an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to garner support from tribal groups ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Chhattisgarh as they play a decisive role in around 25 seats.

However, some experts suggest that the bill might have a marginal impact on voting, as these caste organizations have long been demanding inclusion in the ST list.

It has also been noticed that the BJP might have sidelined tribal leaders in Chhattisgarh due to the significant presence of OBC communities, constituting around 50 per cent of the population.

However, with elections nearing political analyst BK Manish suggests that the BJP leaders meeting with tribal leaders might be an attempt by the party to rectify this perceived mistake and gain their support ahead of the upcoming elections.

Regarding the new amendment, Manish explains that most of the changes were necessitated by spelling variations in ST names that have persisted over the past seven decades.