A bill to include certain tribal communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in four newly-created districts in Uttar Pradesh was passed in Lok Sabha on Friday with members seeking better implementation of the reservation policies for such categories.
The bill, which was approved by voice vote by the Lower House, amends the Scheduled Tribes Order to recognise Gond community in the districts of Chandauli, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar and Sant Ravidas Nagar.
Piloting the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said that the Narendra Modi government is committed to welfare of tribals and has increased budgetary allocation over the years for the welfare schemes of tribals.
The Modi government, he said, "is committed to the welfare of tribals and the bill is just a way forward."
Munda said the government was coming up with different bills for reservation of tribals as the list of such tribes is different in different states and the issues ought to be deliberated in Parliament.
Rejecting the Opposition charge of politicising the issue, the minister said that bill provides for welfare of tribals in Uttar Pradesh where the elections have already been completed. "This is not linked with elections," he added.
Participating in the debate, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government should come up with a comprehensive bill for reservation of scheduled tribes instead of working in a piecemeal manner. Similar issue was raised by N K Premachandran (RSP).
BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh Guman Singh Damor said some tribals who are very poor and uneducated are being converted by offering inducements.
These people are getting converted for inducements and due to this our tribal culture is being "destroyed", Damor said.
"I would request the minister that our culture must be protected and these conversions be stopped. If some people have converted, then they must be considered as not coming under the definition given in Article 366 of the Constitution and should be excluded from the Scheduled Tribes list," he said.
Speaking before Damor, Congress MP from Odisha Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka said his party supports the bill and welcomes the necessary steps in this regard by the government.
He listed the legislations brought in by the Congress for the welfare tribals and alleged that the government was only interested in taking away their land to help a few industrialists.
"Now they talk of conversion, the Hindu marriage act is not applicable to tribals. A tribal who converts to Christianity is being attacked... they want to do away with reservation, have given away land to industrialists," he said.
Something should be done for the uplift of tribals and a bill should be brought in for this, he said.
TMC's Saugata Roy raised the issue of Maoist militancy and said it must be brought under control through development "as it was done in West Bengal".
Initiating the debate, Congress member Deepak Baij said similar proposals for inclusion of certain tribal communities of Chhattisgarh in the list of Scheduled Tribes was pending with the Centre for the past few years and urged the minister to expedite the same.
Baij, who represents Bastar in the Lok Sabha, said a few years ago tribals in Chhattisgarh were living in fear of becoming victims of either the security personnel or naxals.
However, the situation had improved since Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel assumed office.
Earlier, the presence of the government was felt only up to a kilometre on either side of the roads, but now the administration was holding special camps to issue Aadhar cards and extend healthcare facilities to tribals.
Baij wanted the government to scrap the privatisation policy as it would encroach upon the rights of tribals.
The Congress member also wanted the government to end the bogey doing away with policy of reservations for tribal communities.
BJP's Jagdambika Pal urged the government to initiate a census of the tribal population in the country and also sought more clarity in the issuance of caste certificates.
TMC MP Pratima Mondal raised the issue of crimes against the community and alleged that funds for the SC/ST community remained unutilised.
She also said that the existing reservation policy was not been implemented properly. Pointing out that mere inclusion of more categories is not enough and efforts should be underway to increase funds allocation, changes through education and a compulsory chapter on the issue in school books.
YSRCP's Sajiv Kumar said that the amendments reflected the aspirations of the marginalised communities.
Shiv Sena's Rajendra Gavit sought the exclusion of those communities which have already benefitted from reservation and progressed out of the BPL category.
He also raised the issue of fake caste certificates being issued in Maharashtra.
Navneet Rana (Ind), T Thirumaavalavan (VCK), Sunil Kumar Singh and Raju Bista (both BJP), were among those who participated in the debate.
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