Tribals appeal for separate religion code in census

Tribals appeal for separate religion code in census
New Delhi, Feb 24 – Tribal groups from several states across the country Wednesday held a protest in New Delhi, demanding they be listed under a distinct ‘religion code’ in the 2011 population census.
Nearly 150 people of various tribal groups from states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh took part in the protest at Jantar Mantar.
The protesters said that unlike other religions of the country, which have been provided specific allocations, the tribal groups who form 8.2 percent of the country’s population, have been devoid of their religious identity.
They appealed to the government to bring about changes in the 2011 population census table and work towards betterment of their living conditions.