In a written reply to a question from Jitendra Avhad (NCP) and others in the state legislative assembly on Monday, tribal development minister Vishnu Savra said that TISS will conduct its research in three stages on the nomadic dhangar community in Maharashtra and the "oraon/dhangad" scheduled tribe. He added that research in the first stage was underway.
Faced with demands from the dhangar community for inclusion in the scheduled tribes (ST) category and opposition to it from tribals, the state government has asked the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to conduct research on the subject. In a breather for the BJP, which had promised to include the dhangars (shepherds) in the ST list, the institute, which will conduct its study in three stages, will submit its final report only in December 2017.
In a written reply to a question from Jitendra Avhad (NCP) and others in the state legislative assembly on Monday, tribal development minister Vishnu Savra said that TISS will conduct its research in three stages on the nomadic dhangar community in Maharashtra and the "oraon/dhangad" scheduled tribe. He added that research in the first stage was underway.
The dhangars, at present, are part of the nomadic tribes (NT) category with 3.5% quotas. Including them in the ST category will entitle them to better educational and job opportunities. But their demand has been resisted by tribals, who claim it would deprive them of funds, quotas in jobs, education and even politics, and gradually alienate adivasis from their land, which lies in prime areas, by making the fresh entrants in the category eligible to purchase it.
This demand by the dhangars hinges on the presence of oraons/dhangads in the ST list. The dhangars claim that they and dhangads are the same and the term 'dhangad' is a spelling mistake that has deprived them of benefits. Hence, they seek that this be corrected.
Savra said: "TISS has informed that the main research will be completed in two stages and the final report will be submitted to the government by December 2017."
While Maharashtra has the highest number of tribals in India, dhangars are said to be second-highest in number after the Maratha-Kunbi caste cluster. These demographic considerations have caught the BJP-led state government in a bind.
Those on both sides of the argument admit that the dhangars' demand caught momentum after the erstwhile Congress-NCP led government turned the logic of reservations on its head to extend 16% quotas to the dominant Maratha community, which controls power structures in the state, and also to Muslims (5%).
However, those backing the dhangars' demand point to sections among them, especially the nomadic class, being educationally and socially backward.
During the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, the BJP had supported the dhangars' demand. However, after coming to power, the party is finding it hard to implement the same, since it would cost them tribal votes and lead to similar demands for enhanced quota benefits from other social groups.
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