Report on Status of Gotti Koya Tribals

• 11 Nov 2024

Why in News?

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has asked the Union Home Ministry and Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to submit a detailed report on the status of the Gotti Koya tribals, who were displaced from Chhattisgarh due to Maoist violence.

Key Points

• Background and Displacement Challenges:
  • The Commission received a petition in March 2022 highlighting that Gotti Koya tribals, who fled Chhattisgarh in 2005 due to Maoist violence, now face significant difficulties in neighboring states.
  • Tribal rights activists report around 50,000 Gotti Koya tribals displaced, now residing in 248 settlements across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
• Concerns:
  • The Telangana government reclaimed land from internally displaced Gotti Koya families in at least 75 settlements, affecting their livelihoods and increasing vulnerability.
  • According to the officials, Gotti Koyas, being migrants from Chhattisgarh, do not qualify as Scheduled Tribes in Telangana and thus lack forest rights there.
    • The Commission asked the Director of the Centre for Economic and Social Studies and Forest Department representatives to present findings from surveys conducted in Gotti Koya settlements in Telangana.
• Government Data on Displaced Tribals:
  • The government informed Parliament that tribal families from Chhattisgarh are unwilling to return despite rehabilitation programs.
  • According to the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, 10,489 individuals from 2,389 families were displaced due to Left-Wing Extremism in Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts.

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

• About:
  • It was set up in 2004 by amending Article 338 and by inserting a new article 338A in the Constitution through the 89th Constitution Amendment Act, 2003. Hence, it is a constitutional body.
  • By this amendment, the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was replaced by two separate Commissions namely:
    • National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)
    • National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)
• Objective:
  • Article 338A inter-alia gives powers to the NCST to oversee the implementation of various safeguards provided to Scheduled Tribes (STs) under the Constitution or under any other law for time being in force or under any other order to the Government and to evaluate the working of such safeguards.
• Composition:
  • It consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and 3 other Members who are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
    • At least one member should be a woman.
    • The Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the other Members hold office for a term of 3 years.

Gotti Koya Tribe

• Gotti Koya are one of the few multi-racial and multi-lingual tribal communities in India.
• They live in the forests, plains, and valleys on both sides of the Godavari River, in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
• They are said to have migrated to central India from their original home in Bastar, northern India.
• Language:
  • The Koya language, also called Koyi, is a Dravidian language. It is closely related to Gondi and has been strongly influenced by Telugu.
  • Most Koyaspeak either Gondi or Telugu, in addition to Koyi.
• Occupation:
  • Traditionally, they were pastoralists and shifting cultivators, but now-a-days, they have taken to settled cultivation supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
  • They grow Jowar, Ragi, Bajra, and other millets.
• Society and Culture:
  • All Gotti Koya belong to one of five subdivisions called gotrams. Every Gotti Koya is born into a clan, and he cannot leave it.
  • They have a patrilineal and patrilocal family. The family is called "Kutum". The nuclear family is the predominant type.
  • Monogamy is prevalent among the Koyas.
  • They practice their own ethnic religion, but also worship a number of Hindu gods and goddesses.
  • Many Gotti Koya deities are female, the most important being the "mother earth."
  • They maintain community funds and grain banks at the village level to help the needy families and provide food security.
  • They either bury or cremate the dead. They erect menhirs in memory of the dead.
  • Their main festivals are Vijji Pandum (seeds charming festival) and KondalaKolupu (festival to appease Hill deities).
  • They perform a robust, colourful dance called Permakok (Bison horn dance) during festivals and marriage ceremonies.