New Delhi, 27 May (H.S.): A meeting was held on Wednesday at the Language Division of the Census Department under the Union Home Ministry concerning the classification of the Kudmi community and the Kudmali language in the upcoming 2026–27 census and the demand to include Kudmali in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule. A delegation from ‘Adivasi Kudmi Samaj–Delhi’ held detailed discussions with officials for more than two hours.
The delegation, led by youth activist Amit Mahto, included Pankaj Mahto, Mukesh Mahto and Deepak Mahto, and representatives from Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam. The delegation requested information about the classification of the Kudmi tribe and their mother tongue, ‘Kudmali’, in the forthcoming census.
Registrar General B.P. Mahananda of the Language–Census Division in the Home Ministry stated that in the upcoming 2026–27 census, Kudmali will again be classified as a mother tongue under the name ‘Kurmali Thar’, as in previous exercises. In the memorandum submitted to him, the delegation urged that the bracketed form ‘Kudmali’ be added alongside ‘Kurmali Thar’ to avoid any confusion within the community.
The delegation also raised the issue that in the 2011 and earlier censuses, due to the absence of appropriate codes and clear guidance, many respondents recorded different names across the language and caste columns, which prevented the true number of Kudmali speakers from being accurately reflected.
The meeting also discussed the demand to include the Kudmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The delegation said that during the West Bengal assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had given assurances that Kudmali would be included in the Eighth Schedule. However, the Home Ministry has not yet confirmed any final date or issued a formal announcement in this regard.
Speaking to the media, Amit Mahto said that if the central and the relevant state governments do not promptly initiate the process to include Kudmali in the Eighth Schedule, a major movement will be planned across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam.
He added that regional meetings will be held in the coming days in Ranchi, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Delhi and Assam to raise awareness among community members about correctly recording their language and caste in the census. Clear guidelines will also be issued for the community so that the true number of Kudmali speakers is properly recorded this time.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
