Who are Kurmis?
- Kurmis, also known as Kunbi, are mainly a peasant community, with their population concentrated in the Junglemahal areas or Chota Nagpur Plateau of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and the bordering areas of Bihar.
- Kurmis are believed to be the descendants of some of the earliest Aryan immigrants to India.
- Kurmi communities are recognised as Other Backward Classes (OBC) in several states, including West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
- The Kurmis were classified as Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the 1931 Census but were excluded from the ST list in 1950.
Who are Scheduled Tribes?
- Article 366 (25) of the Indian Constitution defined Scheduled Tribes as such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes.
- Article 342: The President shall notify the tribes or tribal communities to be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State or Union territory.
- Parliament may, by law, include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes.
- The first specification of Scheduled Tribes in relation to a particular State/UT is made by a notified order of the President, following consultation with the concerned state governments. These orders can be modified subsequently only through an Act of Parliament.
- The essential characteristics of these communities are:
- Primitive Traits
- Geographical isolation
- Distinct culture
- Shy of contact with the community at large
- Economically backward
Procedure for Inclusion in ST List
- The proposal for inclusion of a community under ST originates from the respective State/UT government.
- The State Government sends a proposal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) for inclusion, exclusion, or modification of a community in the ST list.
- The Tribal Affairs Ministry sends this to the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI).
- Upon approval by the RGI, the proposal is forwarded to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
- If the Office of the RGI and the NCST approve the proposal, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs prepares a Cabinet note.
- Once the Cabinet approves, the change must be passed by Parliament, after which the President notifies the revised ST list.
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Also Read > Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
