Bill to include Sualgiri, Swalgiri in SC list introduced in LS

The government today introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks inclusion of Sualgiri and Swalgiri castes in the Scheduled Castes list of Odisha.
These communities were found synonymous with Sabakhia caste, which is already included in the list of Scheduled Castes of Odisha.
They were not getting benefits due to the Scheduled Castes and the Odisha government had proposed their inclusion in the SC list.
Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot introduced the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the Lower House.
He said the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes have given nod to the change.

The bill also seeks to replace the term Union Territory of Pondicherry to Puducherry in Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.