Inclusion of Kurmi Community in the ST List of West Bengal
Government of West Bengal
Tribal Development Department
Administrative Buildings
DJ-4, Bidhannagar, Sector II, Kolkata 700091
No: STDD-05/21 Date: 6-02-2021
From: S. K. Thade IAS (Retd.)
OSD in the rank of Principal Secretary
Department of Tribal Development
Government of West Bengal
To: Shri Deepak Khandekar, IAS
Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs
New Delhi, Government of India.
Sir,
Further to this Department Memo No STDD-01/21 dated 20-1-21 as enclosed, on the proposal submitted for inclusion of the “Kurmi Community” in the Scheduled Tribe List of West Bengal and being alive to the disparate socio economic, linguistic, clan, totemistic and Ethnographic attributes that constitute the “Kurmi Community” residing in the 14 self- same Districts, we request a detailed review of the constituent clan structure of around 81 reported clans that make up the aforesaid “Kurmi Community”.
The aforesaid review be conducted towards the ends for a structured and more granular classification of the said community for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal. It is therefore submitted that a Study by the “Anthropological Survey of India” be commissioned to recommend identification, classification on Etymological bases the constituent clans that make up the “Kurmi Community” residing in the 14 Districts and the criteria for inclusion in the State List of Scheduled Tribes. The State Government shall wait for the study conducted by the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) and the views of the ASI will be deliberated by the group of expert personnel of West Bengal and thereafter State Government shall recommend for the inclusion of aforesaid “Kurmi Community” in the Scheduled Tribe list of West Bengal by Government of India as per the extant Rules.
This proposal is therefore being resubmitted in continuation to the aforesaid Department Memo No STDD-01/21 dated 20-1-21 for a more disaggregated and informed classification of the aforesaid “Kurmi Community” under the auspices of the “Anthropological Survey of India” under the Government of India for our consideration and inclusion thereafter, in the Scheduled Tribe List of the state of West Bengal.
In this context, the copy of an “Ethnographic Study Report” conducted by the “Cultural Research Institute”, Govt. of West Bengal is enclosed for reference and necessary consideration by the “Anthropological Survey of India” to conclusively confirm the tribal status of the 81 or so reported clans comprising the “Kurmi Community” for the State of West Bengal most expeditiously.
Yours faithfully
OSD in the rank of Principal Secretary
Department of Tribal Development