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21/08/24 12:49 PM IST

Dhangars community

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  • The nomadic community of shepherds has also been demanding ST status for long. With elections approaching, they hope the demand for grazing rights will get some traction.
Dhangars community
  • The Dhangars are a community of shepherds with populations in several states.
  • Besides Maharashtra, they live in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as well, and are known by other names such as Golla and Kuruba elsewhere.
  • The Dhangars are on Maharashtra’s list of Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), but have been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for decades.
  • According to Dhangar leaders, the community is identified as “Dhangad” elsewhere in the country, and gets reservation as an ST.
  • Dhangars have herded their animals along specific routes since time immemorial.
  • In recent decades, however, as the forest department has started marking out protected forests, the movements of the community have come to be seen as encroachment on forest lands.
  • The community follows the rains, and are normally on the road for the better part of the year.
  • “They take certain routes — in Vidarbha they travel from Buldhana to Amravati to Akola, while some go till Chandrapur. In Western Maharashtra they go till Konkan and come back.
Caste of Dhangars
  • The community’s demand for grazing rights is linked to its demand for ST status, which has not made much headway mainly due to opposition from the STs in Maharashtra who fear dilution of their quota benefits if they are shared among a larger population.
  • The Forest Rights Act, 2006, allows traditional occupations including grazing, but it has helped only STs get access to grazing grounds.
  • Dhangars, who come under the nomadic tribes category, have not benefited.
  •  The community is believed to be around 1 crore strong, which would make them about 9% of the state’s 11.2 crore population (2011 census).
  • Around 40% of the Dhangar population is believed to be solely dependent on herding.
  • The nomadic life hampers the community’s access to education and healthcare.
Source- Indian Express

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