VIJAYAWADA: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include Valmiki/Boya community in the Andhra Pradesh State in Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister on Wednesday on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki, Naidu urged him to recognise Valmikis/Boyas of AP as STs at the earliest by introducing a Bill in Parliament.
Stressing the need for resolving a long-pending issue before the Centre with regard to the demand of Valmikis and Boyas, Naidu said the two communities living in plain areas of Andhra Pradesh have been suffering in poverty. These communities have traditionally earned their livelihood through hunting and gathering forest produce, he said.
The TDP chief said the Valmiki and Boya communities were not included in the ST list despite favourable recommendations by the Anantharama Commission and several other panels.