Jharkhand CM urges Central govt on Sarna code

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren reiterated that the Central government should consider the proposal sent for the demand of the Sarna Adivasi Dharma Code after it was passed by the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

New Delhi: After the Jharkhand government recently passed a new resolution on Sarna religion for the tribals of the state, Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday urged the central government to take necessary action in this regard.

Meanwhile, the state government also suggested that it should be included a separate code in the Census of 2021.

Speaking to reporters Soren said," The central government cannot ignore 11 crore people. The culture and religious freedom of the tribals will be protected through the Sarna Dharma Code. The Jharkhand Assembly had unanimously passed the resolution and we have also demanded the inclusion of Sarna as a separate religion in Census, 2021."

"For tribals, the Sarna Code is important. The state is committed to 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," Soren said.

Notably, a large section of the tribal community in Jharkhand, Bengal, Orissa and Bihar consider themselves as followers of the Sarna Dharma Code. They pray to trees and hills and believe in protecting forest areas.