Maharashtra forms nine-member committee for Dhangar issue

The Maharashtra government has formed a committee to study the methodology used to include other castes in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The committee, led by IRS officer Sudhakar Shinde, will visit Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Telangana to gather information. The Dhangar community, currently classified as Nomadic Tribes, is demanding ST status and a 7% quota instead of the current 3.5% quota. The committee will submit its report within three months. The Dhangar community is influential in 4 Lok Sabha constituencies in Western Maharashtra.