ParliamenPosted at: Mar 19 2021 8:01PM LS passes The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021
New Delhi, Mar 19 (UNI) The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill by voice vote to further amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Replying to the debate on The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot said it is a bill that categorises seven castes into one and exceptions to this in specific districts.
The categorisation will include the bracketing the specific name against the main name of "DevendrakulaVelalar'' so that their old caste certificates are not disregarded, Mr Gehlot said.
Replying to the debate, he further said steps will be taken to prevent atrocities on scheduled castes and
necessary measures will be taken in any part of the country to ensure that no offender
committing this crime is saved.
The Minister said that his government is committed to giving justice to the Scheduled Castes and the result of this is that the Modi government amended The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989 in 2015 and added 15,16 new provisions to the list of these offenses.
After this, the restrictions imposed by the court in 2018 have been removed and the law
was amended to register the FIR.
Mr Gehlot said that during the discussion some members raised the question of post matric scholarship, he wants to tell them that this scholarship was centrally sponsored and half of the states did not get money from the centre and if received it would get very less. To deal with this situation, the central government changed the rules and made a system of sharing 60 percent of the centre and 40 percent of the states and good results are coming out. Now there is no complaint from anywhere, he said.
Earlier in his opening remarks before moving the Bill for consideration and passing in the House, the Minister said seven castes in Tamil Nadu due to distinctiveness be listed as "DevendrakulaVelalar''.
"And Kadian community to be listed separately for certain areas in Tamil Nadu. There are no additions or deletions in the list, only a regrouping," he said.
As per statement of objects and reasons of The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021, The State Government of Tamil Nadu has proposed certain modifications in the list of Scheduled Castes, by way of grouping of seven castes, which presently exist therein as separate castes in the said list as under: "DevendrakulaVelalar [Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan (excluding in the coastal areas of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts), Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi, Vathiriyan]"; and "Kadaiyan (in the districts of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam)".
It is also proposed to consequentially omit the redundant entries from the said list in view of the aforementioned grouping. The Registrar General of India has conveyed concurrence to the proposed
modifications.
In order to give effect to the above changes, it is necessary to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 in respect of the State of Tamil Nadu. Six Presidential Orders were issued specifying Scheduled Castes in respect of various States and Union territories. These Orders have been amended from time to time by Acts of Parliament.
UNI NY / VT