Explained: What does including Tripura’s Darlong community in ST list mean?

What is the News?

Lok Sabha has passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The bill sought to include the Darlong community as a subtribe of the Kuki tribal community in the list of Scheduled Tribes(STs).

About Darlong Community

Darlong is a tribal community of Tripura, which has a population of 11,000. They are considered as a generic tribe under the Kuki community.

Traditionally, the Darlongs adopted Jhum cultivation/shifting cultivators. Today, most of them have taken up agroforestry and horticultural plantation or orchard development as their main livelihoods.

The community has a high prevalence of education and cultural activities, and members of the community serve in senior positions in the local administration.

For instance, a tribal musicologist and Rosem (a tribal instrument) maestro Thanga Darlong was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri a few years ago for his contributions to culture.

Tribal Population in Tripura

Tripura has 20 tribal communities. Most of these tribes live in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, formed in 1982.

The tribal council covers nearly 70% of the total area of Tripura and houses roughly 30% of the state’s population.

A large majority of them still depend on slash and burn cultivation and traditional livelihood for sustenance.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What does including Tripura’s Darlong community in ST list mean?” published in Indian Express on 2nd April 2022.