Government approves the inclusion of tribes of five States in the ST category

The Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of some castes of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh in the list of Schedules Tribes on Wednesday. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said it was a long pending demand of these castes which has been fulfilled.

Arjun Munda also stated that the move will help them availing welfare benefits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chairperson of the cabinet. 

Union Cabinet approves inclusion of some castes of Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh in list of #ScheduledTribes. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda says it was long pending demand of these castes which fulfilled.

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) September 15, 2022

Which regions of the five states’ tribes are included in the ST category?

1. The Cabinet in its latest decision granted the status of ST to the Hattee community of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district.
2. Since Himachal goes to the Assembly polls later this year, thus the decision is important.
3. The Cabinet approved the inclusion of ‘Gonds’ along with its five sub-castes in the Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of Uttar Pradesh.
4. The inclusion of ‘Narikoravan along with the Kurivikkaran’ community in respect to the State of Tamil Nadu was also approved by the Cabinet through the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to amend the Constitution Order,1950.
5. The inclusion of the ‘Betta-Kuruba’ community in respect to the State of Karnataka was also approved by the Cabinet.
6.  Chhattisgarh’s 12 caste communities were included in the Scheduled Tribes.

What is the process for including tribes in the ST list?

The Tribal Affairs Minister explained that the tribes are included in the ST list with the recommendation from the respective State governments. They are then sent to the Tribal Affairs Ministry, which reviews and sends them to the Registrar General of India for approval. Further, this is followed by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes’ approval before the list is sent to the Cabinet for a final decision.

What are the central schemes for the STs?

The major schemes for the STs include Pre and Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students, Scholarship for Higher Education, Fellowship, National Overseas Scholarship for ST students for studying abroad, and more.

Background

The demand for the Binjhia tribe to be added to the ST list in Chhattisgarh had been pending for around 15 years said, Mr. Munda. The Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the Hatti tribe had sought inclusion for around 50 years. Like the Binjhia community, the Hatti tribe had been on the ST list in neighboring Uttarakhand but not in Himachal Pradesh.

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