Lok Sabha passes Bill to include Betta-Kuruba community in ST list

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill to include the ‘Betta-Kuruba’ community in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Karnataka along with the 'Kadu Kuruba'.

The people of the ‘Betta-Kuruba’ community have been living in Chamarajnagar, Kodagu and Mysuru districts of Karnataka. They have been demanding they be included in the ST category.

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by the Lok Sabha after more than 20 members of the lower House of Parliament participated in the discussion.

The Bill amended the Part VI.—Karnataka of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 by substituting entry 16 to include “Betta-Kuruba” along with “Kadu Kuruba”, as requested by the state government, union minister for tribal affairs Arjun Munda stated.

“You are discussing in the House about a community which has a population of just about 5,000 people. They are still far away from the Constitution,” Munda said, replying to the discussion on the Bill. “We attained Independence 75 years ago. But the 5,000 people (of Betta-Kuruba community) did not get justice.”

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 9. Once the Bill is passed by Rajya Sabha and the rules are framed, the members of the Betta-Kuruba community will be entitled to all benefits provided to the members of the Scheduled Tribes, especially reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.

“This is the dignity and power of democracy,” Munda said, dismissing Congress MP K Suresh’s allegation about vote-bank politics by the Government. The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was committed for the welfare of all sections of the society.

Suresh did not oppose the Bill, but pointed out that the tribal communities needed more support from the government, in terms of adequate healthcare and educational facilities as well as employment.

“Through this Bill, their living standard will improve, they will get education and their social structure in the hierarchy will improve. A last mile justice will be done,” S C Udasi, the BJP MP from Haveri in Karnataka, said.

He said that the ‘Betta-Kuruba’ community was economically backward. “They suffer from lack of education. Their occupation involves collection of forest produce and bamboo. They have their own dialect with no script. They use primitive hunting tools. They have a distinct culture. They follow animism,” said Udasi.