Bondo Porja, Khond Porja and Parangiperja make it to ST list in Andhra as Parliament passes Bill

Replying to the debate on the Bills, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bharti P Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had done a lot for the upliftment of tribal people including its effort to make aspirational districts inspirational.

Moreover, the government has also launched schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), she said.

Also Read: RS passes 2 bills modifying list of SCs, STs in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha

Three groups added to ST list in AP

In Andhra Pradesh, three more ethnic groups — Bondo Porja, Khond Porja and Parangiperja — are being added to the list of STs. While in Odisha, it will add four groups to the list.

The list of Scheduled Tribes of Andhra Pradesh was last modified vide, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 (No 6 of 2014).

On the basis of the recommendation of the state government of Andhra Pradesh and after consultation with the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. It is proposed to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in respect of the State of Andhra Pradesh by amending the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 proposed to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 in the Schedule to include the castes in the ST list.

‘Part of Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups’

“All these are part of Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and they have been added to the scheduled list after 75 years of independence,” Munda added.

During the debate, the Opposition members urged the government to form a joint parliamentary committee to evaluate the demands of various communities to be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes, saying piecemeal measures would not help.

Initiating the debate, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka of the Congress welcomed the Bill but pointed out that about 150 to 200 tribes have been added to the list of Scheduled Tribes in the past five years.

“There are around 12 crore Scheduled Tribes across the country. When we were in government, there used to be a procedure, where a JPC was constituted. MPs were part of it. They used to visit places, check the criteria and recommend who is ST and who is not,” Ulaka said.

Also Read: What does an alliance with TDP mean for BJP in Andhra Pradesh?

Demands of JPC

“In the last four-five years, I think we have included almost 150 to 200 tribes in Scheduled Tribes. In Odisha, anyone who comes demanding ST status, the state government sends it to the Union government.

“They have sent around 180 tribes to be considered as ST. This naturally raises concern if the demands are genuine or not,” he said, and added a JPC should look into the issue.

NCP MP (Sharad Pawar faction) Supriya Sule and Abdul Khaleque of the Congress also demanded that the Centre should form a JPC for meeting various communities that demand ST status and a comprehensive bill can be brought before Parliament.

Saugata Roy of TMC meanwhile called for simplifying the process for communities to get ST status.

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan intervened in the debate and welcomed the bill.

“This is as important that this bill is coming at a time when a tribal woman is the president of India. The government is committed to protecting tribal people,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)