TRIBALS – 2007 - Indian Social Institute

Tribals happy over UNICEF project (6)BERHAMPUR: Tribals in remote areas of Ganjam district, who are yet to have identity papers forthemselves, are happy to get birth certificates of their progenies at their doorstep. A projectsponsored by the UNICEF is continuing in the district to provide birth certificates to all tribalchildren between the age of 1 to 14 near their homes. A tribal activist, Jagabandhu Sabar ofBeguniapada area said: "At least the birth certificates of our children would prove that we areliving on jungle land for generations other wise who will come over to these remote places to givebirth certificates to their children." Sabar is enthusiastic about the project as according to himthese birth certificates would provide some proof regarding their ownership of the land on whichtribals stay in jungles. Owning to efforts of the village level health workers, most of the births getregistered but the tribals, due to their ignorance, do not collect birth certificates. When they try tocollect the birth certificates after years they get dissuaded by the long bureaucratic process andthe money involved. Mangaraj Panda, the director of United Artists, which has joined hands withthe UNICEF to take up the project said, usually births in tribal areas are recorded without namesto get names put on the certificates needs deposition of Rs. 2 as treasury challan which is acumbersome process for an ignorant tribal. It was an effort to get together a notary public, localtehsildar, doctor of the local primary health centre at a particular point in tribal areas to issue birthcertificates at the spot after on the spot verification of children. Till now birth certificates havebeen issued to the parents of 2024 tribal children living in remote areas of 11 blocks of Ganjamdistrict. This work could be done through 26 camps. On June 22 a meeting is to be held whereadministrative officials, health officials, parent representatives from tribal villages would gettogether to decide upon the future course of action so that the tribals can get birth certificates fortheir children in time near their homes. (The Hindu 8/6/07)‘Father’s surname will lead to loss of tribal identity’ (6)Shillong, June 7: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council Chief Executive member H SShylla has said whoever takes surname from the father’s side would lose his tribal identity. This isbad news for the Synkhon Ka Rympei Thymmai, which has been advocating for taking up father’ssurname. Meghalaya follows the matrilineal system where the surname is taken up from themother’s side. However, there is a movement initiated by the Synkhon Ka Rympei Thymmai todiscard the matrilineal system and follow the patriarchal system. Shylla also said the childrenborn out of wedlock of a tribal and non-tribal couple would be considered a tribal and would get allthe benefits of a schedule tribe. He said the district council has the Khasi Hills AutonomousDistrict Council Khasi Social Custom of Lineage Act 1997 and according to the Act, the offspringof a tribal and a non-tribal is considered a tribal. He asserted that “if a woman is a tribal, heroffspring can claim scheduled tribe status.” The decision of the district council to continue with theact by according the schedule tribe status to the children born out of non-tribal father and tribalmother is contradictory to the Supreme Court ruling that children born out of the non-tribal fatherand tribal mother cannot be treated as a tribal. Shylla said the SC ruling is applicable only to theOraon tribe which has a patriarchal system unlike in Meghalaya which follows a matrilinealsystem. However, acting on the Supreme Court ruling the Income Tax department has decidednot to allow exemption of income tax to children born out of wedlock of non-tribal father and tribalmother. The Chief Executive also said if a tribal man marries a non-tribal woman, the Act applieswhere the man can get another Khasi surname by a system called Tang Jait ( giving a newsurname). (Indian Express 8/6/07)Jharkhand teachers to learn tribal languages (6)RANCHI, JUNE 13: Backed by a constitutional mandate enshrined in Article 350 A, that primaryeducation be imparted in mother tongue, the Jharkhand Government is set to make theknowledge of local tribal and non-tribal language compulsory for teachers in state-run schools.According to the 2001 Census report, the male and female literacy rates in Jharkhand are 67.94per cent and 39.39 per cent, respectively. The dropout rate is estimated to be around 55 per cent.It is the second highest after Bihar. State’s towns and villages have witnessed mushrooming ofprimary schools where tribal students either speak in Santhali, Mundari, Oraon, Kharia or Khorta.The teachers, however, communicate with them in Hindi, Bengali, Oriya and Urdu. “Due to thislanguage dualism, local students often do not find education interesting forcing some of them to