Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that seeks to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in Tamil Nadu. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed through a voice vote in the House. The Bill, which was piloted by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 15, 2022. It was proposed following the suggestion of the Tamil Nadu government that the two communities be included in the State's ST list. Replying to the debate, Munda said the number of these communities is very less, they face hardship and are deprived of their rights even after the country's independence. “The government is working on tribal-related issues, removing discrepancies and ensuring justice for them,” he said. Munda said several RS members have raised demands to add more communities from their respective areas to the tribal list and the government is sensitive about it. “The government is trying to solve the issues and has taken similar requests for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka,” he said. M Thambidurai of the AIADMK supported the Bill and said some more communities from Tamil Nadu need to be added to the ST list. “Fishing is also hunting in the sea, therefore there is a demand from Tamil Nadu to add fishermen to the tribal communities. Other communities such as Valmiki, Vaduga and kuruba must be included in the ST list,” Thambidurai said.
