The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by voice vote. The Bill seeks to include the Parivara and the Talawara communities in the ST category to ensure they get reservation and other benefits provided by the government.
The Siddi tribes of Belagavi and Dharwad would also be included in the category apart from those living in the Uttar Kannada districts. The amendments had been made in the list of the STs in Karnataka.
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the legislation had been brought in relation to one State and assured the members, many of whom sought inclusion of communities from their States, that the government would take cognizance of their demands.
This government has worked to bring the deprived sections of society into the mainstream, he added.
Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party demanded that the Dhangar community from Maharashtra be included in the ST.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) also said a comprehensive bill is required. Saugata Roy (All India Trinamool Congress) said the government should take steps to make the process of inclusion easier. He also accused the BJP of neglecting tribals and asked the party to give them due importance in its policies.