DHANGARS: ‘ST’ STATUS DEMAND

Constitutional Provisions wrt Schedule Tribes (STs):

• Article 366(25): It defines Scheduled Tribes as those tribes that are deemed under article 342 to be STs for the purposes of this Constitution.
  
  
• Article 342(1): President may notify the STs in a state after consultation with the Governor of the state. 
  
  
• Article 342(2): It talks about the further inclusion or exclusion of any tribe from this list.
  
  

Dhangars are a shepherd community of Maharashtra who live mostly in Western Maharashtra and Marathwada.

They claim that they are the same as “Dhangad” elsewhere in the country, who are listed as a Scheduled Tribe.

However, a typographical error led to the community’s name being recorded as “Dhangar”, thus denying them the benefits available to the ST “Dhangads”.

Criteria for a tribe to be included in the list of ST:

• For the process of inclusion/exclusion/modification in the list of Scheduled Tribes, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs follows the following criteria:
  
  

1. Indications of primitive traits;
   
   
2. Distinctive culture;
   
   
3. Geographical isolation;
   
   
4. Shyness of contact with the community at large; and
   
   
5. Backwardness
   
   

• According to the Ministry, these criteria are not spelt out in the Constitution but have become well established and accepted.
  
  

Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950:

• In accordance with the above mentioned constitutional provision and the criteria evolved, the President issued the "Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
  
  
• It contains the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to particular States or Union Territories.