HP: Budhi Diwali celebrations commence in Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur

The five-day-long Budhi Diwali festival, which is celebrated a month after Diwali, commenced in the Trans-Giri area of the Sirmaur district on Wednesday.

The five-day-long Budhi Diwali festival, which is celebrated a month after Diwali, commenced in the Trans-Giri area of the Sirmaur district on Wednesday. Celebrated on 'Blue moon' (Amavasya), the festival is celebrated in Anni and Nirmand areas of Kullu district, Shillai, Sangrah and Rajgarh of Sirmaur and Chopal in Shimla district, besides a few other pockets.

As per the legend, Budhi Diwali is celebrated this late because the news of Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya reached a month later in these regions. According to locals, this year's celebration is more special for the Hatti community in the Trans-Giri region of this district as it has finally won the 55-year-old battle to obtain tribal status.

In September, the Union Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a Constitution amendment bill that seeks to grant tribal status to the Hatti community living in the Trans-Giri region of Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district.

A bill regarding the same is likely to be introduced during the winter session of Parliament in December, the president of Central Hatti Samiti Amichand said, adding that the Hatti community in the Jaunsar region of Uttrakhand had already been given tribal status.

After the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill 2022 becomes an Act, around 1.6 lakh members of the Hatti community Trans-Giri region will be able to derive benefits meant for STs under the existing government schemes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)