SUMAN JHODIA. TRIBAL LEADER FROM KASHIPUR
Group of people belonging to the Jhodia community have reportedly locked the Gram Panchayat offices in as many as seven locations to protest their non inclusion in the list of Scheduled tribes. This has grossly affected the election process in the Kashipur block of Rayagada district.
Earlier this month the representatives of the Jhodia community have expressed their resolve to boycott the elections for the same. The district administration has held series of meetings with the representatives of the community and explained the latest position to the them.
The case of the Jhodia community is typical one. they belong to the larger Poroja tribe and are a subgroup called 'Jhodia Poroja'. The name Jhodia poroja is reflected in the list of STs approved by the Government of India's Ministry of tribal affairs.
During the settlement operation in Orissa in the late seventies and early 80s, the people belonging to the Jhodia Poroja tribe were, inadvenertantly, recorded as only "Jhodia' a name that they were generally known as, but unfortunately, this name does not figure in the approved list of the Scheduled Tribes of govt. of India.
This technical error lead to numerous problems for the Jhodia community and they have been deprived of the ST status, which is enjoyed by other tribes and a few people recorded as 'Jhodia Poroja' ( a name that figures in the list of Scheduled tribes) in their Record of Rights( RORs) in their own community.
There have been number of clarifications from the district administration right from the time when Kashipur was a part of the Kalahandi Estate, the undivided Koraput district and now the Rayagada district, wherein it has been clarified that the people recorded as Jhodia are not different from Jhodia poroja. Even for matrimonial alliances and other cultural aspects people recorded as Jhodia and Jhodia Poroja are one and the same community. It is interesting to note that One' Sri. Jhajuri Jhodia' had contested as a ST candidate and represented the assembly constituency.
Recently the Govt of Odisha has sent a proposal for inclusion of the name Jhodia in the list of Scheduled tribes and it is only a matter of time for the community to get their rightful entitlement.
However inspite of being appraised by the district administration of the same, some elements have locked the Panchayat buildings and tried to obstruct the election process. Collector Rayagada said that, though the district administration is sympathetic about the cause of the Jhodia tribals, any act of lawlessness will be dealt with an iron hand and it wont hesitate to make arrests and take necessary action against those who disrupt the election process.
