In an apparent move to understand the intricacies of the ongoing Adivasi-Lambada tribe tiff in the State, the Government has called for statistics related with the issue of Agency certificates. Though the total number of certificates issued across the State is not known, the statistics are likely to be processed, presumably by numbers aimed at demonstrating that there was no discrimination towards aboriginal tribes.
For example, over 3,000 Agency certificates were issued from the 14 mandals constituting Adilabad Revenue Division since the inception. Of these 686 certificates were issued to Lambada tribals which, according to sources seem to be proportionate to their population.
Local Agency certificates are given to tribals, ethnic or plains tribe, who have lived in the Scheduled habitation concerned since 1950 when Constitution of India came into being. These certificates were made mandatory for selection of candidates for all Class IV and other posts like teachers recruitment.
The Chief Minister’s Office at Hyderabad called for statistics from mandal offices concerned in two formats which will reveal not only the number of Agency certificates issued before and after formation of Telangana but will throw light on the total numbers issued to ethnic people belonging to Gond, Kolam, Pardhan, Thotti, Naikpod and Lambada tribes.
The hurried manner in which the data was collected and sent on November 21 can be a pointer to the efforts of the Government to hold talks with tribal groups concerned.
“Mere statistics will not disclose the gravity of the problem,” observed Vette Rajeshwar the Raj Gond village headman or Patel of Pittabongaram in Indervelli mandal of Adilabad district. A detailed inquiry should be conducted to ascertain whether the claim for Agency certificates made by the Lambadas was genuine or bogus,” he demanded.
“Despite living in our villages for centuries, our children do not get certificates but I know of five outsider Lambadas who got it from this mandal during the relevant period,” the Patel lamented. “Lambadas were not STs in 1950 so they are not eligible for any certificate as a tribe,” opined Purka Bapu Rao, president of the Indervelli Amaraveerula Ashaya Sadhana Samithi.
According to sources, about 250 Agency certificates were scrapped by the then District Level Scrutiny Committee just before Telangana was formed. Mysteriously however, many of these certificates were validated after formation of the new State.
“One of our main demands is to verify all the Agency certificates issued so far and who were the competent officers who issued them. This exercise will reveal the spread of the malaise caused due to issue of bogus certificates,” asserted Purka Bapu Rao.
