PANAJI
The Registrar General of India (RGI) has rejected Goa Government's proposal to accept the case of dhangars as a distinct tribal community, a primary criterion for inclusion into the Scheduled Tribes (ST).
In a communication to Directorate of Social Welfare in July, the Union Ministry for Tribal Welfare, based on RGI submission had raised some queries to the State proposal and had sought additional information.
A similar proposal of the State government was rejected by RGI in 2021. Following which, in January 2023, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led delegation had made a fresh appeal before the Union Ministry.
The State government had submitted a 500-page research report about the tribes to support the proposal of including the dhangars in the ST category.
In June 1999, the government had approved modalities for deciding cases for inclusion, exclusion and other modifications in the list of SCs and STs. Indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness were the criteria adopted for determining tribal character of a community.
The dhangars of Goa, who are also called as Goulys, had fought alongside the gaudas, kunbis and velips to demand their inclusion into the ST category; however only gauda, kunbi and velip communities were accorded constitutional status as notified tribes in 2003.
