Page 3 - Scheduled Tribes

Bengal govt begins survey for enumeration of Mahato community: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that her government has started a survey to enumerate the population of the Mahato community amid their long-pending demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Addressing an administrative programme here, she said her government would also write to the Centre seeking recognition of Sarnaism as a separate religion as being demanded by tribals, and asserted that if it is not given, she would start a massive demonstration. Banerjee also said if the Centre does not clear the "dues" of the PM Awas Yojana by April 1, her government will build 11 lakh houses for the beneficiaries under the scheme. "The Mahatos have a long-standing demand to declare them as STs. But, I will tell them that it is not in my hands. So, please do not blame me for it. I would like to inform you that we have started a geographical survey to find the actual percentage of the Mahato population in the state. We have over 6 per cent tribal population in West

Is state empowered to make classification in SCs, STs for quota: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced examining a legal question whether a state government is empowered to make a sub-classification in the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes for grant of reservation in admissions and public jobs. A seven-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is also examining the validity of the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006 which provided 50 percent quota and the first preference' to Valmikis' and Mazhabi Sikhs' castes in public jobs inside the quota meant for the Scheduled Castes (SCs). The bench, also comprising justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra and Satish Chandra Mishra, is hearing 23 petitions, including the lead one filed by the Punjab Government challenging the 2010 verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The high court had struck down Section 4(5) of the Punjab law, which gave 50 per cent SC quota to Valmikis' and Mazhabi Sikhs',

No 'vertical' reservation on lines of SC, ST, OBC for LGBTQs: Ex-CJI Lalit

Former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Thursday said the LGBTQ community is not entitled to claim "vertical" reservations like those given to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), or Economically Weaker Section (EWS). He, however, said they may claim "horizontal" reservation on the lines of the ones for women and persons with disabilities. Justice Lalit, who retired as the 49th CJI in November 2022, was answering a query during the question and answer session after delivering a special lecture on 'ffirmative Action and Constitution of India' at the India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER) here. When asked whether the LGBTQ community will ever come under the ambit of constitutional affirmative action/reservation, he said, "Theoretically yes, but if I give the counter argument, not to belittle the idea, but to see that my birth in a community like SC, ST or OBC is something beyond my capacity while sexual ...

Himachal govt issues notification to grant ST status to Hatti community

The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday issued a notification granting Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the Hatti community of Sirmaur district's Transgiri area. Members of the community, who reside in 154 panchayats of the area, had been demonstrating against the state government over not implementing the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2023, and notifying the community as ST. After a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told a press conference that the state government had sought a clarification from the Centre regarding scheduled castes status among the Hatti community in September last year after the law department raised some objections. "I was in continuous touch with Union Home Minister Amit Shah," he said. "I had promised that a notification would be issued in this regard within 24 hours after the clarification is received and the promise stands fulfilled in 10 hours," Sukhu said, adding that he would go to Nahan on January 3

Manipur CM N Biren Singh expresses concern over attacks on state forces

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has expressed concern over the attacks on state forces and said that a delegation will soon go to Delhi to meet central leaders and apprise them of the situation. Singh's statement came in the wake of five state police commandos injured in a attack at the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district on Saturday. They have been airlifted to Imphal and admitted to hospital. Taking to X, Singh said "The unprecedented attacks against the state forces in the recent times have become a serious national security threat. While the state and central security forces are actively engaged in maintaining control over the situation, it is also imperative for the combined security forces to adopt a robust and comprehensive approach to deal with these elements, who are relentlessly attempting to destabilise the state of Manipur." The CM held a meeting with BJP state president A Sharda Devi, ministers, MLAs and party leaders on Sunday and discussed the situation .

Over 17 mn ST students granted pre, post-matric scholarships in 5 yrs: Govt

The Centre awarded pre-matric scholarships to 1,03,34,708 (1.03 crore) Scheduled Tribe students during the past five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Post-matric scholarships were granted to 68,74,363 (68.74 lakh) Scheduled Tribe (ST) students during this period. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu told the Upper House that 11,925 Scheduled Tribe students received the national scholarship for higher education while 13,326 obtained the national fellowship for higher education in the past five years. The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme was extended to 170 students, he said. Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST Students covers those in classes 9-10 with an annual parental income below Rs 2.5 lakh. The contributions are 75 per cent from the Centre and 25 per cent from the state (90 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, for northeast and hill states). Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students includes those in Class 11 and above and with an annual

Tendu leaf collection rates raised to Rs 4,000 a bag in Madhya Pradesh

The decision will provide relief to more than 3.5 million tendu leaf collectors, who will now get an additional remuneration of Rs 162 crore

Four posts in National Commission for Scheduled Tribes lying vacant: Govt

Four posts, including that of chairperson, are lying vacant in the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. These posts are of constitutional nature, he said in a written reply. The minister said the post of chairperson, vice-chairperson and two posts of members are lying vacant from June 27, 2023; July 27, 2019; and January 16, 2020, respectively. The post of chairperson fell vacant due to the resignation of the incumbent on personal grounds, he added. Proposals for selection of chairperson and members of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) received by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry from various sources -- including eminent personalities, chief ministers of states, MLAs, MPs and directly -- are scrutinised in the ministry, he added. The credentials of the proposed persons are verified from the state governments/state authorities concerned. Once approved by the Un

Over 13,600 SC, ST and OBC students dropped out of IITs, IIMs in 5 yrs: MoE

Over 13,600 reserved category students dropped out from central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) over the last five years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar shared the statistics in a written reply to a query by BSP member in Lok Sabha Ritesh Pandey. In the case of Central Universities (CUs), Sarkar said that as many as 4596 OBC, 2424 SC, and 2622 ST students dropped out in the last five years. In IITs, 2066 OBCs, 1068 SC and 408 ST students dropped out. In IIMs, the figure remained at 163, 188, and 91 for OBC, SC and ST students, respectively. "In the higher education sector, students have multiple options and they choose to migrate across institutions and from one course/programme to another in the same institution. "The migration/withdrawal, if any, is mainly on account of securing seats by the students in other departments or institutions of their choice or on any

What is the PM Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Development Mission?

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Jharkhand and will launch the Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission on the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda

'SC/ST House panel satisfied with condition of both communities in Assam'

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Kirit Premjibhai Solanki on Monday expressed satisfaction on the overall social condition of these two communities in Assam. He, however, stressed on the need to improve different parameters such as education and jobs besides ending practices like manual scavenging in which mostly people from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) are engaged. Talking to reporters at the end of a three-day study tour of the panel to the state, Solanki said, "Discrimination based on caste is less in Assam and the entire northeastern region compared many other parts of the country. We have learnt that cases of atrocities on SC/ST are also few here." Solanki, who was accompanied by 14 out of total 30 members of the committee, held discussions with state government representatives including chief secretary and several PSUs such as LIC, ONGC, OIL, Northeast Frontier Railways and IIT-Guwahati. The ...

Maratha quota: Sena UBT seeks time from Prez, demands Parl special session

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking time to meet her and demand a special session of Parliament to discuss the issue of reservation for Maratha and Dhangar communities. The letter, dated October 31, states that an 11-member delegation led by Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut wants to meet the president on November 5 or 6. Marathas are demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category, while the Dhangar (shepherd) community wants the ST (Scheduled Tribe) status. On Tuesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded a special session of Parliament and said that the issue can be resolved by the Centre. He said all Union ministers from Maharashtra should raise the reservation issue in the cabinet meeting. Thackeray also urged the Union ministers to resign if the (Maratha reservation) demand is not met. Incidents of violence erupted in parts of Maharashtra over the past few days with the Ma

BJP woos tribals with hope to win high-stakes Chhattisgarh assembly polls

As Chhattisgarh gears up for the assembly elections next month, the opposition BJP in the state faces an uphill task to win the support of tribal population, that is said to have significantly influenced the poll outcome in the past. In the 2018 state polls, the BJP suffered a huge setback in tribal-dominated seats. According to poll experts, the recent rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda in the tribal belt and launch of the party's two Parivartan Yatras from tribal pockets indicate the party's efforts to woo tribals. The state elections will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. In the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly, 29 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, which comprises around 32 per cent of the state's population. The ruling Congress, which won 25 out of 29 ST-reserved seats in the 2018 assembly polls, is hopeful of bagging more seats than the last time, banking on its government's tribal wel

Exercise caution on portrayal of SCs, STs: BCCC to entertainment channels

The Broadcasting Content Complaint Council (BCCC) on Tuesday asked entertainment channels to exercise "extreme caution" while portraying the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in television programmes to avoid hurting the sentiments of the members of the two communities. The channels, while depicting the stories of the members of the scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) communities, must ensure that the "nuance and humanness" of the stories are communicated "sensitively" and that the violence displayed does not lead to "re-traumatization" of the communities or victims, the council said in its advisory. While portraying stories which are based solely on social evils such as untouchability and casteism, the entertainment channels should not engage in "victimization" of the people belonging to SC and ST communities, the self regulatory body of non-news entertainment channels said. It said it understands that many stories possess a moral or ethical dimension requiring ...

Maharashtra govt to set up ST Commission, review tribal population status

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that a Scheduled Tribes Commission will be set up on the lines of the National Commission for STs. He also hinted at increasing the number of villages having a sizeable population of tribal communities which were earlier not part of any government schemes. Chairing a meeting of officials and concerned ministers, the chief minister ordered a review of the current status of tribal population in various parts of the state, a statement said. Following the review, new areas, including villages, will be notified as "aspirational" districts which could lead to an increase in the number of villages with a sizeable population of tribals than the existing ones. At the meeting, Shinde approved the proposal to set up a dedicated commission for scheduled tribes which would be a statutory body, said an official. Shinde's deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were also present along with the ministers concerned and officials fro

OBCs, EBCs comprise more than 63% of Bihar's population: Caste survey

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Monday released findings of its much-awaited caste survey, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 per cent of the state's total population. According to the data released here by Development Commissioner Vivek Singh, the state's total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore, out of which, the Extremely Backward Classes (36 per cent) were the largest social segment followed by the Other Backward Classes at 27.13 per cent. The survey also stated that Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, were the largest in terms of population, accounting for 14.27 per cent of the total. Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre made it clear that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than SCs and STs as part of the census.

Chhattisgarh CM Baghel seeks appointment for OBC association to meet Guv

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel sent a letter to Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, requesting him to give an appointment to meet the OBC Mahasabha and the State Backward Classes Welfare Association

Over 42% teaching posts for quota candidates in central universities vacant

More than 42 per cent teaching posts reserved for OBC, SC and ST candidates in 45 central universities are lying vacant, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. According to data shared by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply, 7,033 posts are sanctioned for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates in central universities and out of these, 3,007 posts are vacant. While 46 per cent posts (1665) for OBC are vacant, the vacant positions for SC and ST are 37 and 44 per cent respectively, it stated. "A total of 517 posts for the three categories have been filled in 2023 so far," Pradhan said. Among the positions filled in 2023, maximum are for the OBC category (285) followed by the SC (150) and the ST (82) categories, respectively.

Parliament: 2 synonyms of Mahar community added to Chhattisgarh's SC list

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to add two synonyms for the Mahar community in Chhattisgarh to the state's list of Scheduled Castes. The bill was passed by a voice vote in the Upper House. It has already been passed by the Lok Sabha in the ongoing Monsoon session. The bill seeks to add "Mahara" and "Mahra" as synonyms of the Mahar community. Replying to a discussion on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar urged for its passage. The proposed legislation will help expand the benefits of government schemes and benefits meant for Scheduled Castes in the state to around two lakh more people, he said.

44% of rural households in ST areas yet to get tap water connection: Govt

About 44 per cent of the rural households in the Scheduled Tribe areas in the country are yet to get tap water connection, according to government data. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel said 1.2 crore out of 2.17 crore (55.3 per cent) rural tribal households have tap water connection According to data, the states where more than half the rural tribal households are yet to get tap water connection are Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal, the minister said. To enable every rural household in the country to have potable tap water supply by 2024, including those in tribal areas and areas, the government is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Har Ghar Jal in partnership with the states. Responding to another question, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu said the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors live storage status of 146 important reservoirs in the country on a weekly basis and ...