Ranchi (Jharkhand): The Jharkhand Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution seeking the inclusion of Sarna as a separate religion in Census, 2021.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the resolution, passed during a special one-day Assembly session on Wednesday, will now be sent to the Centre for approval.
"For tribals, the Sarna Code is important. The state is committed for it. This is a historic day for tribal people who migrate outside the state and thus their population is not counted. A good message will go across the country if the tribals get the separate religious code. The official figures shows a decline in tribal population, which prevents tribals from getting many government benefits," Chief Minister Hemant Soren said in the Assembly.
He said that the entire country was worried over rising pollution levels and in such a scenario the religion of the tribals aimed to protect the environment.
Also read: Explained: Special religion code for Jharkhand's Sarna tribe