| Summary/Abstract |
The present paper is an outcome of the ethnographic study conducted among the Mal Paharia of Kuthuria village under the jurisdiction of Purbasthali Police Station in Purba Burdwan district of West Bengal, India. The paper deals with the migration, present socio-economic condition, status as per Socio-Economic Status (SES) scale, life–cycle rituals, traditional political organization and religion. It also informs us about the availability of Aadhar, Epic, Ration card, Caste certificate, Bank account, life insurance and job card that are said to constitute the State Conferred Identities (SCI) of this group. They are now facing a problem in the procurement of caste certificate, which is related to the identity of this group. The paper makes an attempt how anthropologists would approach this problem and suggest a solution.
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