Darjeeling, Sikkim MPs jointly urge union tribal affairs minister to expedite re-inclusion of Gorkha sub tribes as ST

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, accompanied by Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba, met with Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on Mon day, urging him to expedite the re-inclusion of left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as Scheduled Tribes.

Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista met Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram (photo:X)

SNS | Siliguri | August 6, 2024  : Darjeeling, Sikkim MPs jointly urge union tribal affairs minister to expedite re-inclusion of Gorkha sub tribes as ST

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, accompanied by Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba, met with Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on Mon day, urging him to expedite the re-inclusion of left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as Scheduled Tribes. The MPs informed Union Minister Mr Oram that all tribes residing in “Partially Excluded Areas” prior to independence have been gradually re-included as Scheduled Tribes.

However, the left-out subtribes from Darjeeling and Sikkim remain excluded. In Sikkim, twelve subtribes were not included after the state’s merger in 1975, as they should have been. “Without urgent action, the indigenous history, heritage, tribal culture, and traditions of these sub-tribes risk being completely eradicated,” Darjeeling MP Mr Bista stressed.

MP Bista emphasized that while other Partially Excluded Areas have been converted into states or union territories, protecting the rights of indigenous people, the same has not occurred for their region. “The Gorkha sub-tribes from Darjeeling, recognised as Hill Tribes until the 1941 census, lost their tribal status post-independence,” Bista added. It may be noted that Darjeeling and Sikkim have a unique political and governance history, with the Darjeeling Hills, Terai, and Dooars regions having undergone various administrative changes.

These areas were designated as Non-regulated Areas (1861-70), Semi-regulated Areas (1870-74), Scheduled Districts (1874-1919), Backward Tracts (1919-1935), and Partially Excluded Areas (1935- 47), all administrative setups typically applied to tribal regions across India. According to MP Mr Bista, Minister Oram assured us that he would expedite the process of re-including the leftout Gorkha sub-tribes as Scheduled Tribes.