Bengaluru, Jan. 1- Bowing to pressure from people of Kodagu and Codava National Council, the State Government has re-commissioned an ethnographic and socioeconomic survey to see whether the Kodava community qualifies for tribal status. This is the third time such a survey has been taken up in the wake of reports on an alarming decline in the population of Kodava community.
In 2011, the then UPA government directed that a survey must be conducted but it was put on hold for political reasons. A survey initiated by the Siddharamaiah government in 2016 too was also stopped midway.
As per the Centre’s directions, the Social Welfare Ministry had entrusted the job to Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute, Mysuru and released Rs. 11 lakh for the same.
Though the survey by a group of research scholars began systematically from Nov. 16, 2016 to December 2016, it was stopped midway by some vested interests who did not want the survey to be conducted, said Nandineravanda U. Nachappa, President of CNC.
The CNC has been spearheading Kodava community’s cause and has held many agitations in this regard. The organisation also has petitioned the State and Centre to conduct the survey and save the distinct community and its culture from vanishing away.
CNC has been arguing that the survey was stopped by some vested interests. Nachappa alleged that pressure from an influential mutt and some Congress leaders from Kodagu were against the survey as the credit would naturally go to CNC that has been fighting for the survey since years.
Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge said that the Centre recommended conducting a survey to see whether Kodavas qualify for tribal status and the KSTRI, Mysuru, has been asked to do the needful.
Welcoming the State move to restart the survey, Nachappa said that the culture and traditions of Kodavas are similar to tribals. The government cannot grant Kodavas the status unless the survey establishes it, he said.
Commending Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the Social Welfare Minister for commissioning the survey, Nachappa said that there is an urgent need to sustain Kodava genus under Articles 340 and 342 of the Constitution which provide for the recognition of ethno linguistic tribal minorities, since the community is dwindling in numbers for many economic and sociological reasons.
“Kodavas deserve tribal status since their population is less than 1.5 lakh. There is an estimated 65,000 Kodavas in other parts of the world. The Centre has considered including Kodava Thakk, the Kodava language without a script, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and a notification has been issued to initiate the process. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who is in favour of autonomous status for Kodagu, has moved a private member bill in the Parliament on the issue and it is pending for discussion.
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This post was published on January 1, 2019 6:33 pm