**Executive Summary**
This document addresses Starred Question No. *194 in the Lok Sabha concerning the inclusion of the Badaga community of Tamil Nadu in the Scheduled Tribes list. The question was to be answered on February 12, 2026. The response outlines the established modalities for considering such inclusions and the current status of the proposal submitted by the State Government of Tamil Nadu.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Modalities for Inclusion:**
* The Government of India has established modalities for deciding claims for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list, as amended in 2022.
* Proposals must be recommended and justified by the State Government/UT Administration with an ethnographic report.
* The Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) must concur with the proposal.
* Legislation must be amended to reflect the change.
* **State Government Proposal:**
* The State Government of Tamil Nadu sent a proposal on January 28, 2021, for the inclusion of the Badaga community in the Scheduled Tribes list, with an ethnographic report.
* The proposal was forwarded to the ORGI for examination and comments.
* The ORGI did not support the inclusion in its letter dated June 8, 2022.
* The ORGI's comments were referred to the State Government on June 13, 2023, for justifications and additional information.
* **Writ Petition:**
* A Writ Petition (No.16450/2024) was filed seeking direction to the State Government to send proposal/justification to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
* The High Court dismissed the petition, observing that the State Government accepted the RGI's decision and cannot compel submission of a revised proposal.
* Nothing is pending at the level of the Ministry.
**Impact Analysis**
**State Government of Tamil Nadu**
* **Impact:** The State Government's proposal for inclusion of the Badaga community was not supported by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the High Court observed that State Government has accepted RGI's decision.
* **Action Required:** The State Government was requested to furnish justifications/additional information to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, but it is currently not obligated to resubmit the proposal.
**Badaga Community of Tamil Nadu**
* **Impact:** The continuous demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list has not been met.
* **Action Required:** No direct action required from the community based on this document. Any further action depends on the State Government's decision to provide further justifications.
**Ministry of Tribal Affairs**
* **Impact:** The Ministry has followed the established procedure for evaluating the proposal, including seeking comments from the Registrar General of India.
* **Action Required:** No further action is required at the Ministry level as of the date of this document.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Tribal Affairs: The central ministry responsible for decisions regarding the inclusion of communities in the Scheduled Tribes list.
Badaga Community: The community seeking inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu: The State Government that has proposed the inclusion of the Badaga community in the Scheduled Tribes list.
Registrar General of India (RGI): An organization whose concurrence is required for proposals of inclusion in Scheduled Tribes lists.
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST): An organization whose concurrence is required for proposals of inclusion in Scheduled Tribes lists.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *194
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026
INCLUSION OF BADAGA COMMUNITY IN SCHEDULED TRIBES LIST
*194. THIRU D M KATHIR ANAND:
Will the Minister of Tribal Affairs be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken note of the continuous demand to include
the Badaga community of Tamil Nadu, which was recognised as an important
primitive tribe till the 1931 Census, in the Scheduled Tribes list and if so, the
details thereof;
(b) whether the Government has received any proposal from the State
Government of Tamil Nadu for inclusion of the Badaga community in the
Scheduled Tribes list and if so, the details and present status thereof; and
(c) the timeline proposed for taking a final decision in this regard and if not, the
reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI JUAL ORAM)
(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the table of the House.Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred
Question No. 194 for answer on 12.02.2026 raised by Thiru D M Kathir
Anand regarding “Inclusion of Badaga Community in Scheduled Tribes List”
(a) to (c): Government of India on 15.6.1999 (further amended on 25.6.2002 and
14.9.2022) has laid down the modalities for deciding the claims for inclusion in,
exclusion from and other modifications in Orders specifying lists of Scheduled
Tribes. As per these modalities, proposals are required to be recommended and
duly justified along with an ethnographic report by the concerned State
Government/UT Administration. Thereafter, the proposals are required to be
concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National
Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to be considered and legislation
amended. All action on the proposals is taken as per these approved modalities.
The State Government of Tamil Nadu vide its letter No. 20607/CV-1/2014-
17 dated 28.01.2021 sent a proposal for inclusion of 'Badaga' community in the
Scheduled Tribes list of the State along with an ethnographic report of the
community. The said proposal was forwarded to the ORGI for further
examination and furnishing comments of the matter. The ORGI vide its letter
dated 08.06.2022 did not support the proposal of State Govt. of Tamil Nadu for
inclusion of “Badaga” community in ST list of the State. The comments of the
ORGI were referred to State Government for furnishing justifications/additional
information on the matter vide this Ministry’s letter dated 13.06.2023.
A Writ Petition No.16450/2024 was filed in the High Court of Judicature
at Madras seeking to issue direction to the State Government of Tamil Nadu to
send proposal/justification to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for inclusion of
"Badaga" community in ST list of Tamil Nadu. The Hon'ble High Court, vide
Order dated 11.03.2025 has observed that the State Government has accepted
the decision of the RGI and cannot compel the State Government to submit a
revised proposal or otherwise and has dismissed the Petition. Nothing is pending
at the level of this Ministry in this regard.
*****