BETTA-KURUBA

Source: The Indian Express

In News:

The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 to include Betta-Kuruba in the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list of Karnataka as a synonym for the already categorised Kadu-Kuruba tribe in the State.

The Process of adding to the ST List

1. The process of adding tribes to the ST list starts with a recommendation from the State governments.
2. It is sent to the Tribal Affairs Ministry, which reviews and sends them to the Registrar General of India, Under the Home Ministry for approval.
3. After approval, it is sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and then sent to the Cabinet for a final decision.
4. Once the cabinet finalizes it, then it introduces a bill in the parliament to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
5. After the amendment bill is passed by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the President’s office takes the final decision under Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution:

Betta-Kuruba tribe

• The Betta Kuruba tribe lives in the hilly regions of Karnataka and is one of the few indigenous communities of the Nilgiris.
• They belong to the Hindu caste native to the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Traditionally, the Kuruba people drew sustenance from hunting, gathering and collecting wild honey.
• They practised sheep/goat and cattle pastoralism, in that they either herded exclusively sheep, or a mixed herd of sheep and goats, or cattle.
• They are generally believed to be the descendants of the Pallavas.
• Consanguineous marriages like cross-cousin marriages are preferred among the Kurumbas.

Tribal Area

The Indian Constitution states two types of areas:

Scheduled Areas in terms of the 5th Schedule of the Constitution.

Tribal Areas in terms of the 6th Schedule.

“The “Tribal Areas” are also mentioned under Article 244(2) of the Constitution.

For the declaration of Scheduled Areas, the criteria followed are;

• The predominance of the tribal population.
• Closeness and reasonable size of the area.
• Presence of a viable administrative unit such as a district, block or taluk.
• Economic backwardness of the area as compared to neighbouring areas.