Bill to bring various names of 12 tribal groups in ST list gets RS clearance

The proceeding, which had been adjourned earlier in the day, began in the afternoon amid slogans from the Opposition benches. In the middle of this, Deputy Chairperson Harivansh called for Kharge to speak on the Bill.

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The Bill was passed with a voice vote in the absence of the Opposition members, who had walked out in the first hour of the afternoon proceedings after Leader of Opposition in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, was not allowed to raise the issue of the situation in Manipur. (Express File Photo)

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The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to include different versions of the names of 12 Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities of Chhattisgarh to ensure that an additional 72,000 people from the state are able to avail the benefits of reservation.

The proceeding, which had been adjourned earlier in the day, began in the afternoon amid slogans from the Opposition benches. In the middle of this, Deputy Chairperson Harivansh called for Kharge to speak on the Bill.

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The Congress leader said, “We all support the Bill…. It is (however) a request we have been trying for four days…” Kharge’s remarks were cut short by the Chair, stating that it did not relate to the Bill in question.

Discussion on the Bill continued after the walkout, with several members stating that the Opposition was not serious about issues of people from tribal communities. Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh, who comes from Chhattisgarh, said: “The Opposition is completely absent here today. The Rajya Sabha members from Chhattisgarh should have supported this Bill (and) put forth their views…. Had they been present, people from the 12 tribes from Chattisgarh would have been happy…”

Concluding the discussion, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said: “There were 78.22 lakh Scheduled Tribes people in Chhattisgarh as per 2011 Census. This proposal to include 12 (more) tribes will increase this number by an estimated 72,000. This is a very small number, but this government is sensitive and wanted to take up the issue of tribes whose voices were not heard.”
Munda said simple errors in spelling — either because people did not know it back then or someone maintaining the record misheard them — kept away members of many tribal communities from availing benefits (of reservation). Several spellings of tribes have been included in both English and Hindi to ensure they are able to get justice, he said.

The Constitution (ST) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, which was passed in Lok Sabha last year, includes Dhanuhar, Dhanuwar, Kisan, Saunra, Saonra, and Binjhia tribes in the Scheduled list. It also includes Bhuinya, Bhuiyan, and Bhuyan as synonyms of the Bharia Bhumia community.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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