13/06/2025
“ Gorkha’s Dream is My Dream” — Narendra Modi,
But when will this dream come true?
The demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the 11 Gorkha communities — including Gurung, Rai, Mangar, Newar, Thami, Bhujel, Jogi, Sunuwar, Yakha (Dewan), Dhimal, and Khas — is a longstanding issue rooted in historical injustices, constitutional principles, and persistent socio-economic deprivation. Despite sharing similar ethnic, linguistic, and cultural markers with communities that already enjoy ST status — such as Tamang, Bhutia, Lepcha, and Sherpa — these 11 communities have been left out of affirmative frameworks, resulting in systemic marginalization.
Uneven Recognition
In the 1950s and 60s, the Indian government recognized several hill communities in the eastern Himalayas — like Lepcha, Bhutia, and Sherpa — as Scheduled Tribes. Later, the Tamang and S***a (Limbu) communities were also included through the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 2002. However, despite sharing similar cultural and geographical characteristics, the 11 Gorkha communities were excluded.
The exclusion is not based on anthropological or socio-economic reasons, but more on political neglect and procedural delay.
Constitutional and Legal Provisions
The Constitution of India, under Article 342, empowers the President to declare certain communities as Scheduled Tribes after consultation with the Governor of the concerned State. However, any inclusion or exclusion must be legislated by the Parliament.
Key Constitutional and Legal Instruments:
Article 15 & Article 16: Prohibit discrimination and guarantee equal opportunity, but permit special provisions for advancement of socially and educationally backward classes.
Article 46: Directive Principle of State Policy — promotes the educational and economic interests of weaker sections, particularly SCs and STs.
SC/ST Orders (Amendment) Act, 1976 and 2002: Used to recognize or exclude specific communities based on set criteria.
Criteria for ST Status
As per the Lokur Committee Report (1965) and subsequent guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the criteria for identifying STs include:
Primitive traits
Distinctive culture
Geographical isolation
Shyness of contact with the community at large
Backwardness
The 11 Gorkha communities meet many of these criteria:
They possess distinct languages (e.g., Rai and gurung dialects), customs, oral traditions, and religious practices often rooted in animism, shamanism, or Buddhism.
Many live in remote hill or forest areas.
There is evident social and economic backwardness — low literacy rates, poor health indicators, and minimal representation in government jobs or higher education.
Committees and Government Responses
In 2016, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs directed the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) and the Registrar General of India (RGI) to conduct ethnographic studies on the 11 Gorkha communities.
The West Bengal Government sent a positive recommendation to the Centre supporting the ST status.
In 2023, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the demand of granting ST status to these 11 communities is being actively examined and is in its "final stages".
Yet, despite these assurances, no notification has been issued, keeping the communities in a limbo.
A survey of ground realities by west bengal backward classes department shows that most of these communities mostly Gurung, Rai, Magar, Thami, Jogi, etc suffer from:
1)High dropout rates in school education.
2)Limited access to land, forest rights, and health care.
3)Underrepresentation in public sector jobs and politics.
4)Continued economic reliance on marginal farming, plantation work, and low-paid services.
5)Many of their cultural practices and community organizations have weakened due to the absence of state recognition and support. 6)This has further diluted their identity, making them more vulnerable to assimilation and exploitation.
Recognizing these communities under the ST list is not about extending a privilege; it is about ensuring constitutional justice and equal opportunity. The historical exclusion has pushed these communities to the margins. By rectifying this, the state would uphold the spirit of inclusion promised in the Constitution.
Moreover, providing ST status would:
1)Ensure access to reservation in education and employment.
2)Make them eligible for government welfare schemes, including skill development, livelihood support, and scholarships.
4)Help preserve their language, culture, and identity, which are facing threats due to socio-economic pressures.
The continued delay in granting ST status to the 11 Gorkha communities stands as a glaring contradiction to the egalitarian ethos of the Indian Constitution. Historical oversight, bureaucratic inertia, and political neglect have deprived these communities of rightful recognition and justice. It is imperative that the Union Government acts swiftly and decisively to recognize the 11 Gorkha communities as Scheduled Tribes, thereby restoring dignity, ensuring development, and reinforcing their rightful place in the democratic fabric of India.
