The Puducherry Scheduled Tribes People’s Federation has charged the government with having failed to take any steps to include five communities under the Scheduled Tribes list.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, K. Ramkumar, president of the Federation said the five communities such as Irular (including Villi and Vettaikaran), Kattunayakan, Malaikuruvan, Yerukkula and Kuruman had been waiting for recognition as Scheduled Tribes for more than 32 years.
A three-member team from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which visited the areas inhabited by the five tribes in Puducherry and Karaikal regions in 2014 agreed to make recommendations for inclusion of Irulas and Vettaikaran tribes under the Scheduled Tribes list.
The commission had also written to the Puducherry government seeking further clarification and additional details for inclusion of Kattunayakan, Malaikuruvuan, Yerukkula and Kuruman in the stipulated list.
However, the government had not responded and failed to provide details.
Agitation
Mr. Ramkumar said the communities numbering 18,000 would resort to agitations if the government failed to send a proposal to the Centre. Though the communities had been declared as a backward tribe, the members were being denied benefits due to them in the field of education and employment, he said.
They have been waiting for recognition for over 32 years