Fulfilling Long-Overdue Demands, Cabinet Approves Revision Of Scheduled Tribes Lists For 5 States

The central government on Wednesday (September 14) approved the addition of certain communities to the lists of Schedule Tribes (ST) in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, fulfilling long-overdue demand from these five states.

The concerned states warmly welcomed the decision taken during a meeting of the Union Cabinet, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported NDTV.

Revision Of Schedule Tribes Lists For 5 States

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda briefed the media after the meeting and said that in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh (HP), the Hattee community residing in the Trans-Giri area in the Sirmour district would be added to the list of STs for the hill state, which would benefit almost 1.6 lakh people. The community straddles HP and Uttarakhand (UK). In the UK, the community members of the Jaunsar region follow similar traditions and lifestyles and already enjoy the ST status.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Gond tribe, including its five sub-castes, was already approved for addition to the ST list for the state. The changes were accepted for UP's four districts -- Kushinagar, Chandauli, Sant Ravidas Nagar, and Sant Kabir Nagar.

From Chhattisgarh, 12 communities would be added to the list of STs for the state. Munda informed that the demand had been unresolved for at least 15 years.

In Tamil Nadu (TN), the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities have been added to the list of STs for the southern state, wherein the demand from both the communities dates back to 1965, followed by successive chief ministers of TN, including MG Ramachandran.

And in Karnataka, the Betta-Kuruba community, the synonym of the Kadu Karuba, has been added to the list of the STs for the state.

Benefits For Schedule Tribes

The government will now present separate bills for revising the list of STs for the five states. After that, the Bills will become Acts, and the newly-added communities will be entitled to benefit under the existing government schemes for the STs.

The significant schemes for the community include concessional loans from the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation, hostels for the boys and girls belonging to the community, national overseas scholarships, national fellowships, post-matric scholarships, and top-class education.

According to an official, the ST community will also be entitled to the benefits of reservation in services and admission to educational institutions following the government's policy.

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