Lok Sabha passes Bill to include some communities in Jharkhand ST list

The Bhogta community is being moved from the list of SCs in Jharkhand to the ST list.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda introduced the Bill in Lok Sabha.

DMK’s D N V Senthilkumar criticised the Bill as a move towards “election manoeuvring and election strategy”. He said, “Whatever we see is being done for the sake appeasement, and not in the spirit of upliftment,” he said.

BJP MP from Chatra in Jharkhand denied the Opposition’s criticism that it is aimed at appeasement. Referring to a report by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, set up to look into the 1967 SC and ST Order Amendment Bill, he said the Congress-majority members had unanimously recommended denying reservation to people from ST communities who undergo religious conversion. “The Committee are of the opinion that no person who has given up tribal faith or faiths and has embraced either Christianity or Islam shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Tribes,” Singh said, reading from the JPC report.

TMC’s Protima Mondal supported the Bill and said only inclusion of more castes and making laws are not enough, but more funds are required to be allocated for .

BJP member Aparajita Sarangi said the addition of castes in the list will channelise the flow of outlay and benefits from the general sectors in Central ministries for the development of STs in proportion to their population.

“There are over 705 Scheduled Tribes notified under Article 342 of the Constitution and in keeping with the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, the focus on development of tribes and conservation of their heritage has become a priority,” she said.

Rajendra Dhedya Gavit, Shiv Sena MP from Palghar in Maharashtra, demanded Bharat Ratna for Birsa Munda for his contribution towards tribal communities.