Indian Tribal News Service
New Delhi
As he moved the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in Lok Sabha, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Monday said the Centre is working towards improving the living conditions of the tribal community, and good results will be visible on the health, education and employment fronts.
He asserted that the Centre’s programmes for tribal welfare are outcome-driven and constant efforts are being made to ensure development reaches all. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha.
Responding to issues flagged by members during the course of the debate, Arjun Munda said the Union Information and Technology Ministry recently came up with a plan to develop broadband and 4G connectivity in aspirational districts. Funds for it will be allocated under the Scheduled Tribes component, he added.
He said the issue of healthcare of tribals assumes importance for the government and recently the ICMR was allocated funds for research into the field. Asserting that more funds are available for education today than in the past, Munda said while the number of Eklavya Model Schools was 160 in 2014, the number now stands at over 365. He said 700 plus schools will be established in the five years for which budgetary allocation has been made.
Opposition members made a strong pitch for a comprehensive legislation for inclusion of various castes from states into Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) rather than doing it in a piecemeal manner. They called for seeking details from all States and a holistic study to decide which communities can be included in the SCs and STs.
DMK’s A Raja of the DMK said there has been little uplift of many SCs and STs despite there being various mechanisms in place since Independence. This is a matter of concern, he said adding there are many castes which are economically and socially backward in states and there is an urgent need for their inclusion in these specialised categories.
Congress’ Pradyut Bordoloi said there are many other communities including from Assam who have been demanding inclusion in the SC and the ST categories. He also made a case for caste census so that government has data for inclusion of more communities in the SC and the ST lists.
Quoting a parliamentary committee report, Bordoloi said the panel has noted that the National Commission of STs is dysfunctional for the last four years and it has not released a single report.
Shiv Sena member Arvind Sawant wondered as to why the government is bringing the bill for one community from one state when similar demands from various communities are pending. He claimed that with the government vigorously pursuing privatisation, what purpose would an SC or ST list serve when there would be no public sector left.
Munda also introduced the bill to amend the list relating to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Uttar Pradesh was introduced in Lok Sabha.
According to the Bill, the Uttar Pradesh government had requested to exclude the ‘Gond’ community living in the newly-created districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar from the list of SC. It had pressed for the inclusion of Gond, Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari and Rajgond communities living in the districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar in the list of ST in the state.
Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urged the Centre to avoid piecemeal measures and instead bring comprehensive legislation for various states. He also claimed that the bill was brought keeping in mind the Uttar Pradesh polls. “The polls are over. This has nothing to do with the elections,” Munda countered.
The government keeps amending the lists originally notified in 1950 based on requests made by various state governments
