Sarna Code | 03 Feb 2025

Why in News? 

The Rashtriya Adivasi Samnvay Samiti, based in Jharkhand, has urged Scheduled Tribe associations across the country to join a protest demanding a separate Sarna religion code in the upcoming Census.

Key Points 

• Protest at Jantar Mantar: 
  • The Rashtriya Adivasi Samnvay Samiti will lead a mass demonstration at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on 28th February 2025 to demand a separate religion column for Scheduled Tribe communities in the Census. 
  • The protest call has been circulated among other Adivasi groups, including the Kendriya Sarna Samiti, which have also pushed for a separate Sarna religion code. 
    • Adivasi organizations, primarily from Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, have demanded a separate religion column in the Census for decades. 
• Impact of the Movement in 2011 Census: 
  • In the 2011 Census, the movement led to 4.9 lakh people marking their religion as Sarna in the ‘Others’ column. 
  • Over 80% of these respondents were from Jharkhand, highlighting the strong regional support for this demand. 
    • Since 2011, the demand for a separate Sarna religion code has gained momentum, particularly in eastern and central India, with increasing mobilization from tribal communities.