The Union Government has stated that Odisha’s proposal to include the Jhodia community in the Scheduled Tribes list as a synonym of Paroja is under process and was not supported by the Office of the Registrar General of India. The matter has been sent back to the State Government for further input. The issue has drawn attention to the procedure for tribal inclusion and the wider demand for inclusion of Soura language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Proposal on Jhodia Community
The Odisha Government had sought inclusion of the Jhodia community in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State.
- The proposal seeks recognition of Jhodia as a synonym of Paroja at Serial No. 55 in the ST list.
- The proposal was not supported by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
- The matter has been referred back to the State Government for further action.
Procedure for ST Inclusion
Proposals for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list follow a multi-stage process.
- State Government proposals must be supported by an ethnographic report.
- The proposal is examined by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
- It is then considered by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
- If not recommended, the State Government is asked to provide additional information.
Soura Language and Eighth Schedule
There have also been repeated demands for inclusion of Soura, also written as Sora, in the Eighth Schedule.
- The Constitution does not prescribe fixed criteria for language inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.
- Language evolution is considered dynamic and shaped by social, cultural, economic and political factors.
- Earlier attempts by the Pahwa Committee and the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee to frame fixed criteria were inconclusive.
- No time-frame can currently be fixed for consideration of new language demands.
Constitutional and Administrative Context
The issue reflects two separate but related policy areas – tribal recognition and language recognition.
- ST inclusion affects social identity, representation and welfare access.
- Eighth Schedule inclusion is linked to cultural recognition and administrative significance.
- Both matters require consultation among the Union Government, State Governments and expert bodies.