KUKI-ZOMI
TRIBES AND ST LIST - GOVERNANCE
News:
On delisting some
Kuki-Zomi tribes in Manipur | Explained
What's
in the news?
●
The Manipur Government has been directed
by the Centre to reconsider a representation.
●
The Chief Minister suggests the creation
of a committee to investigate this matter.
●
This representation may result in growing
differentiation among communities within the State and make changes to STs
classification criteria, particularly concerning Meiteis’ pursuit for SC
status.
Key
takeaways:
●
In 2023, various Meitei groups in Manipur advocated for their inclusion in the
ST list, contrasting with the recent plea to exclude Kuki and Zomi
communities.
●
The argument is based on non-indigenous
status, asserting that Meiteis should gain ST status by omitting Kuki and Zomi
from the list.
Kuki
and Zomi Tribes:
●
Kuki and Zomi Tribes are one of the Ethnic groups from the Bangladesh region.
●
They are mainly residents of Manipur and Mizoram in India.
●
They are also known as Chin or Mizo people
and they share a common ancestry and culture.
●
They speak various dialects of the
Chin-Kuki-Mizo language family, which belong to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the
Sino-Tibetan languages.
●
They are related to the larger Zo people,
along with other tribes such as Chin and Mizo.
Process
of Amendment in the ST List:
●
Any tribe or tribal community can be
included or excluded from the list only by law
made by the Parliament of India.
●
A notification issued under clause (1) of Article 342, specifying
Scheduled Tribes, is used to amend the list.
●
As per the SC verdict, it is not open to
State governments or courts or tribunals or any other authority to modify,
amend or alter the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in the notification
issued under clause (1) of Article 342.
●
However, the center has stated that the process of inclusion or exclusion from ST
list requires the proposal to originate from the concerned State government,
which is then acted upon by the Parliament.
Criteria
to declare communities under ST List:
●
The criteria used by the government to
declare communities as STs were decided upon by the Lokur Committee in 1965 and continue to be in use today.
○
Criteria includes primitive traits,
distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the
community at large, and backwardness.
Go
back to basics:
Historical
Recommendations:
1.
First Backward Classes Commission (1955):
●
Recommended individual tribe names for
tribes in Assam and Manipur instead of umbrella tribes.
●
Suggested redrawing of ST lists due to
outdated information.
2.
Lokur Commission (1965):
●
Noted a "splintering tendency"
among Kuki tribes and recommended mentioning tribe names to address inter-tribe
differences.
●
Choose to classify tribes as a larger
group with sub-tribes, including synonyms.
3.
Bhuria Commission Report (2002-2004):
●
Observed confusion regarding the entry
"Any Kuki Tribes" in the ST list. Recommended mentioning tribe names
to resolve inter-tribe differences.
Further
Reference - ST Status and Procedure