Udalguri: Gorkha Damai Youth Association urges correction of ‘Dami’ to ‘Damai’

A CORRESPONDENT

ORANG: A delegation from the Udalguri District Gorkha Damai Youth Association submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Pulak Patgiri on Tuesday, urging immediate correction of a typographical error in the government’s online caste certificate portal that lists the community name as ‘Dami’ instead of ‘Damai.’

The association highlighted that the error had caused severe hardship to members of the Damai sub-community under the Gorkha ethnic group, leading to complications in government job applications, school and college admissions, and access to welfare schemes.

“The mistake has deprived our people of rightful recognition and benefits,” said President Shyam Pariyar, who was accompanied by General Secretary Mohan Kumar Kanpahenli and Chief Adviser Kharga Bahadur Chhiba during the submission of the memorandum.

The Gorkha community in Assam comprises various castes and sub-castes, including Upadhyaya, Sharma, Chettri, Rai, Limbu, Magar, Gurung, Bhujel, Newar, Sunuwar, Dhimal, Ghale, and Tamang. Among them, Damai (Darjee) is categorized under the Khas group and falls within the backward class.

The association noted that despite repeated appeals by the Assam Gorkha Sammelan Central Committee to the state authorities, no corrective action has yet been taken. The matter has also been raised with the State Commission for Other Backward Classes, Assam, but remains unresolved.

The Udalguri District Gorkha Damai Youth Association has therefore appealed to both the Deputy Commissioner and the State Commission to urgently amend the online system to reflect the correct term ‘Damai,’ ensuring that community members receive their due recognition and entitlements without further delay.

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