• UGI USER
  • Jan 19, 2024
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DELISTING REPRESENTATION FOR KUKI-ZOMI TRIBES IN MANIPUR

Why in the News?

  • Manipur Government instructed by the Centre to examine a representation for delisting certain Kuki and Zomi tribes from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.
Source: UGI

About the Case:

  • In 2023, various Meitei groups in Manipur advocated for their inclusion in the ST list, contrasting with the recent plea to exclude Kuki and Zomi communities.
  • The argument is based on non-indigenous status, asserting that Meiteis should gain ST status by omitting Kuki and Zomi from the list.
About Chin Kuki

·   Ethnic group residing in Northeast India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

·   Predominantly found in Manipur, Mizoram (India), Chin State (Myanmar), and Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh).

·   Current Status : Scheduled Tribes.

·   Also recognized as Chin or Mizo people, sharing common ancestry and culture.

·   Communicate through various dialects of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo language family.

·   Belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the broader Sino-Tibetan language group.

About Zou or Zomi People

·   Indigenous community residing along the India-Burma frontier, identified as a sub-group of the Zo people (Mizo-Kuki-Chin).

·    In India, particularly in Manipur, they share language and habits with the Paite and Simte peoples.

·   Zou people officially recognized as one of Manipur’s thirty-three indigenous communities and listed as Scheduled Tribes.

·   As per the 2001 Census, the Zou/Jou population in Manipur is approximately 20,000, comprising less than 3% of the total population.

·   Concentrated in Churachandpur and Chandel districts of Manipur.