The Gujarat government has taken the decision to establish a five-member commission to identify eligible members of Rabari, Bharvad and Charan communities for the benefits of Schedule Tribe (ST) status.
Central Issue
Back in October 1956, the central government awarded ST status to the members of Rabari, Bharvad and Charan communities living in nesses (small, oval-shaped huts made of mud) in Gir, Barda and Alech regions of Gujarat. However, there have been allegations of individuals not living in these areas managing to acquire ST certificates and unfairly benefitting from reservation benefits, mainly in government jobs. Leaders from these three communities, as well as other communities, have protested against this issue for quite some time.
Objectives of the Commission
The commission aims to resolve this issue and accurately identify the rightful beneficiaries of ST status among members of these three communities. The purpose is to make sure that eligible tribal members are not denied their rights and others do not exploit their benefits unjustly.
Composition of the Commission
The commission will be made up of five members including a retired high court judge as its head, two district judges, a retired forest officer and a retired revenue officer.
Community Profiles
The Rabari community, originally migrating from Rajasthan via Kutch, mainly inhabit the Okhamandal region of the Jamnagar district. They primarily engage in sheep breeding and milk selling, with some also working as waged laborers in industrial establishments. They communicate using ‘Bhopa’, a language mix of Gujarati, Kachchi, Marwari words, and Pharasi (Persian).
The Bharvad community is known for their pastoral lifestyle, often permitted to graze their livestock in demarcated forest areas. The term ‘Bharvad’ itself is derived from ‘Badawad’ meaning a person who possesses compound or enclosures for sheep.
The Charan tribe, also known as Gadhvi, are traditionally cattle breeders. The community’s name originates from the word ‘Char’ meaning grazing in Gujarati, the language they also use.
Scheduled Tribes
As per the 1931 Census, Scheduled Tribes were termed as “backward tribes” living in ‘Excluded’ and ‘Partially Excluded’ areas. Also, the Constitution does not define the criteria for recognizing Scheduled Tribes, thus the 1931 Census definition was used in the initial years post-independence.
Scheduled Tribes carry both a social and cultural dimension but also have political-administrative implications. A majority of the ST population is spread across nine states, which includes Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Constitutional Provisions
There are several articles in the Indian constitution which provide provisions for the advancement and protection of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). These include Article 15 (4), Article 16 (4), Article 46, Article 330 and 332, and Article 338 A, which provide special provisions, allow reservation of appointments and jobs, promote educational and economic interests, and ensures representation of SCs and STs in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies respectively. Article 338 A also gives power to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to oversee the implementation of these safeguards provided to STs.
Last Modified: February 8, 2024