Udupi: Jayaprakash Hegde, the newly elected MP from the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency, drew the attention of the Parliament towards the pathetic condition of two very backward communities from his home district, the Koragas and the Kudubis.

Participating in a debate on a bill concerning scheduled tribes placed before the House, Hegde demanded primitive tribe status among scheduled tribes to the Koraga community and also urged for the inclusion of Kudubi community in the scheduled tribes category.

Hegde, quoting the Peer Report, said not more than five per cent of the Koragas have been educated even now and added they faced many hurdles in securing a government job. He also said only a handful of youth from these two tribal communities have received good education and added many still rely on their hereditary profession of weaving baskets.