Haryana CM Saini to seek ‘Meghwal’ tag for SC group in caste certificates

Haryana will approach the Centre for permission to allow members of a stigmatised Scheduled Caste community to use “Meghwal” in their caste certificates, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said here on Sunday.

“We will recommend to the Centre that members of the ‘Chamar’ community be given the choice to use the word ‘Meghwal’ in their caste certificates, if they so wish,” Saini said.

The announcement came in response to one of 10 demands placed before the Chief Minister by the Meghwal Utthan Samiti. Saini accepted all 10 demands, saying they would be forwarded to the departments concerned for approval and announced a grant of Rs 31 lakh for the organisation.

‘Chamar’ is listed under Haryana’s SC category, but a section of the community has long viewed the term as carrying a derogatory, caste-based stigma rooted in its historical association with leatherwork and untouchability. Over the years, community members across states have pushed for the right to be identified by alternative, less stigmatised names on official documents. ‘Meghwal’ is already in wider use in Rajasthan.

On the demand for construction of dharamshalas in Rewari and Bawal, the Chief Minister said the government would initiate the process of land allotment as per prescribed rules once the committee identified suitable locations. He also said the government had set a target of establishing libraries in every panchayat — around 1,000 libraries have already been opened across the state — and the initiative would soon be expanded to every village so that children do not have to travel long distances for studies and competitive exam preparation.

Saini said social harmony was not a one-day event but a way of life, adding that its true meaning lay not in erasing one’s identity but in strengthening the unity of society while ensuring equal respect for every identity.

The Chief Minister arrived with Industries and Commerce Minister Rao Narbir Singh and was joined by Bawal MLA Krishan Kumar, Rewari MLA Laxman Yadav and Kosli MLA Anil Yadav. Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh did not attend the event. The CM honoured 411 young achievers from the Meghwal community for their accomplishments in education, medicine, engineering and sports. He also stepped off the stage to pose for photographs with them.