Delegation from Rayagada met President Murmu on Jhodia Tribal Status Right & Soura Language Recognition

Rayagada (Badal Tah): A delegation from Rayagada comprising Saptagiri Ulaka, MP-Koraput, Satyajit Gamango, MLA-Gunupur and other tribal leaders namely Ramprasad Gamanga, Ketan Sabar, Wairumpi Sabar, Nilakantha Jhodia, Sandu Charan Majhi and Aniruddha Jhodia met the Draupadi Murmu & raised two long-pending and critical issues affecting the tribal communities of Odisha: Inclusion of the Jhodia Community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) List of Odisha & Recognition of the Soura Language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

The delegation highlighted the historic injustices meted out to Jhodia community and the urgent need to preserve and promote the Soura language through constitutional recognition.

Jhodia community, residing in Koraput, Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, was previously recognized as a synonym of the Paroja tribe and enjoyed Scheduled Tribe (ST) benefits until 1997. However, their arbitrary exclusion from the ST list has pushed them into severe socio-economic hardship.

Despite repeated recommendations from the Odisha Government, including official requests from the Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Secretary to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, no action has been taken. The delegation urged President Murmu to direct the immediate restoration of the Jhodia community’s ST status, ensuring their access to education, employment and welfare schemes.

Soura language, spoken by over five lakh tribals in Odisha and neighboring states, has a rich heritage and a unique script, Sorang Sompeng. However, the language has not been included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, denying its official recognition, government support, and linguistic preservation measures.

The delegation emphasized that inclusion of Soura language in the 8th Schedule will allow for official publications, educational initiatives, cultural preservation and financial assistance for the development of the language. Several other tribal languages have received recognition and it is time for Soura language to be granted the same status.

The delegation presented detailed representations, official documents and a signature campaign from 10000 affected community members to the President. For Jhodia tribal status around 15,000 plus signatures were collected & submitted to President ,Murmu. They demanded that the Government of India take immediate steps to restore ST status to the Jhodia community & Include Soura language in the 8th Schedule. 

These long-overdue demands can not be ignored any longer, they said. The delegation sought urgent action to ensure justice, equality and cultural preservation for tribal communities.