The State government-appointed Commission, headed by former bureaucrat Dr S Chellappa, to identify the eligibility of two communities, Khaiti Lambada and Valmiki Boya, for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) will tour the districts soon. The commission will conduct a survey to study the communities before preparing a report.
Following their visit to Mahbubnagar, where 2.5 lakh of the total 3.5 lakh Valmiki Boya population is said to be settled, the Commission will hold a three-day hearing session in different parts of Nizamabad starting Tuesday. They will visit Gandhari mandal, Bichukunda and district headquarters.
Speaking to the media here Monday, Dr Chellappa said the whole idea was to check if the two communities are fit to be added to the ST list.
At present, 33 communities are part of the Scheduled Tribes list. “The survey will help us find out if all these communities are indiginous to Telangana.
Our terms of reference prescribes that we conduct our own survey regardless of data available from the Samagra Kutumba Survey,” he said.
K Jagannatha Rao, retd IPS officer and member of the Commission, said serious objections from Khaiti Lambadas were recorded by the officials in parts of Mahbubnagar district during the hearing against inclusion of Valmiki Boyas.
“They contested that Valmiki Boyas were well-off and enjoyed high societal status. Our team of offiicals have taken representations from all,” he said.
As per 2011 census, the total tribal population in the entire State was 9.34 per cent and as per the latest Samagra Kutumba Survey, it is 9.98 per cent, said officials.
Source: The New Indian Express