Parliament highlights: Centre tables bill to reserve seats for Scheduled Tribes in Goa Assembly

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha highlights: Here are the latest updates on the developments in the Parliament

Parliament news updates: A bill to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes in the Goa Legislative Assembly was introduced in the Lok Sabha today. As of now, the ST community has no seats reserved in the Goa assembly. Amid demands from the community, the 'Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2024 has been listed in the government business for the remaining part of the Parliament session. The session is scheduled to conclude on August 12.

The law ministry bill will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa. Based on it, the Election Commission will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to make way for ST reservation in the 40-member Goa Assembly. The Election Commission will take into consideration the revised population figures of the Scheduled Tribes and readjust the Legislative Assembly constituency once the bill becomes a law.

The proposal to bring the bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet in March this year days before the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections was announced on March 16. As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community while one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The ST community has been demanding that four out of the 40 seats in the Goa assembly be reserved for them.

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday opposed the recent Supreme Court verdict allowing sub-classification within Scheduled Castes, and said Parliament should overturn the ruling. "The sub-classification of people within Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) has been permitted, our party doesn't agree with it at all," Mayawati said.