Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Narendra Modi urging the prime minister to include the Narikuravars, a nomadic tribal group from the state, in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Community members had recently, via a video link, told the CM that inclusion in the list would bring them further opportunities. The community, whose traditional occupation is hunting, is currently on the Most Backward Classes (MBC) list.
In his letter, Stalin said that based on the recommendations of the state government, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had on April 30, 2013, said that the Registrar General of India had also agreed to the proposal to group the Narikuravars with the Kuruvikkaran community in the list of STs in Tamil Nadu.
He also recalled that expert bodies like the Lokur Committee and the Joint Committee of Parliament had also recommended the inclusion of this community in the years 1965 and 1967, respectively.
“The Narikuravars constitute one of the most deprived and vulnerable communities in Tamil Nadu and therefore deserve all constitutional protection and welfare measures envisaged by the inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes. Though this has been the case and several representations have been made in this regard the inclusion of this community in the list is pending for a very long time,” Stalin said.
The CM visited a colony of Narikuravars on Deepavali Day in November 2021. The visit came after one of the residents said she was not allowed to have food along with others at a temple in Mamallapuram.
“The role of the dravidian movement is to protect every single person… with self-respect and social justice. What was denied for Ashwini is dignity and respect, not food,” the CM said.