Parliament Passes Essential Constitution (ST) Order Amendment Bills During Winter Session

New Delhi: The parliament has passed three essential Constitution (ST) Order Amendment Bills during the Winter Session.

In relation to the state of Tamil Nadu, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, was passed unanimously in Rajya Sabha on December 12. After the passing of this Bill in the parliament, the Bill will include the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu. The bill was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on December 15.

Following this, in relation to the state of Karnataka, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022, was also passed unanimously in Rajya Sabha on December 22. After the passing of this bill in Parliament, the bill will include Betta-Kuruba as a synonym for the Kadu Kuruba community in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka. The bill was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on December 12.

Earlier, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed unanimously by the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament on December 14 with respect to the state of Uttar Pradesh. After the passing of this bill, it will include the transfer of the Gond community from the list of SCs to STs and the inclusion of Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari and Rajgond in the list of STs of Uttar Pradesh in the four districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli and Bhadohi.

Union Tribal Welfare Minister Arjun Munda remarked, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is ensuring that the tribal and other marginalised communities are given due recognition, uplifted, developed and are not left backward, by integrating them with the mainstream of the society. The focus of the Central government has been on matters pertaining to the provision of justice to the tribal communities living in remote areas. Continuous efforts are being made and its concrete results are visible to all. Hence, based on the spirit of the Constitution, justice is now being provided to such communities living in all regions of India.”