Page 3 - Scheduled Tribes

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 ...

Amit Shah, Kamal Nath to attend separate ST community events in Indore

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath will on Sunday attend separate gatherings of tribals in Indore as the BJP and the Congress intensify their efforts to win over the ST community whose vote is crucial in the assembly polls, due later this year. A BJP functionary said at least 50,000 saffron workers from the tribal-dominated Indore division are expected to attend the "Vijay Sankalp Sammelan" in Shah's presence. On the other hand, Kamal Nath will attend the "Adivasi Yuva Mahapanchayat" being organised by students and unemployed tribal youths to highlight their issues. BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday told reporters that some people were spreading misunderstanding among the tribal community in Madhya Pradesh. Some people involved in anti-social and anti-national activities are spreading a misconception among tribals that Lord Hanuman is not their deity. These people also tried to keep away tribal students staying in hostels

Govt to table bill in RS for inclusion of certain communities in ST list

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda will move the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Rajya Sabha in the second half of the session

Harsh Chouhan resigns as NCST chairman eight months before end of term

Harsh Chouhan's resignation comes after a run-in with the environment ministry over the Forest Conservation Rules 2022, which he said violated the Forest Rights Act, 2006

Andaman & Nicobar tribal body against Schedule Tribe hirings from outside

A tribal organisation of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has objected to the local administration's decision to allow Schedule Tribe (ST) people from other states to apply for government jobs in the archipelago, asserting that it goes against the norms. Chairman of the Tribal Council of Car Nicobar, Lionald Nicomed, claimed that as per the Scheduled Tribe Gazette notification of the Government of India, people belonging to only six local tribes are eligible for applying for recruitment under the ST category in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A senior Congress leader also said that allowing ST people from outside violates a Supreme Court order. Many candidates from outside have applied for government posts. This is highly objectionable, Chairman of the Tribal Council of Car Nicobar, Lionald Nicomed, told PTI. Car Nicobar is the northernmost part of the Nicobar group of islands. Nicomed also wrote a letter to Governor Devendra Kumar Joshi, requesting him to intervene in the matter. The Tr

Kurmis allege conspiracy in Bengal to instigate Santhals against them

The tension between the Kurmi and the state government had been rising for some time, over the continuous protest programmes in demand of the ST status

Need to preserve cultural identity of Scheduled Tribe: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Jharkhand, on Thursday said there is a need to preserve the cultural identity of the Scheduled Tribe community. The tribal society presents ideal examples in many fields, and "one of these is the non-prevalence of the dowry system", she said. Murmu urged tribal women to come forward and reap the benefits of government schemes. "Come forward and take the benefits of government schemes which are run for your welfare. Tribal women of Jharkhand are ahead of those in other states when it comes to women empowerment," Murmu said, while addressing self-help groups at an event in Khunti. The President stressed on the need for preserving the distinct cultural identity of tribals and said their society is "free of evil practices such as dowry". "There is a need to preserve the cultural identity of the Scheduled Tribe community," Murmu said. She pointed out that many people in society, even the well-educated ones, have not been able to

Delhi govt expresses concern over increasing atrocities on SC/ST community

The Delhi government on Tuesday expressed concern over "increasing" atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the national capital and a noticeable decrease in the conviction rate under the SC/ST Act. In a review meeting chaired by SC/ST Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand, officials discussed urgent measures to address these alarming trends and ensure justice for the victims. The review meeting, attended by district magistrates and key officials, highlighted the need for effective implementation of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Delhi. Anand stressed the government's responsibility to provide immediate legal aid to victims from the SC/ST communities and emphasised the importance of registering complaints promptly to expedite the legal process. He urged the authorities to apprehend and prosecute the culprits responsible for crimes against members of the SC/ST communities. By ensuring swift justice, the government

Manipur violence: SC to hear pleas on Monday over ST status to Meitei

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a batch of pleas on the Manipur situation including one by a ruling BJP MLA challenging the high court order on the issue of Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community and a PIL by a tribal outfit for an SIT probe into the violence that rocked the northeastern state last week. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narashima and JB Pardiwala is scheduled to hear the matter. The clashes between Meiteis and tribals started in Churachandpur district last Wednesday. The tribals are opposing reservation to the Meiteis following the March 27 Manipur High Court order that asked the state government to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Meitei community. Dinganglung Gangmei, BJP MLA and chairman of the Hills Area Committee (HAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, in his appeal contended that the "proceedings before the High Court were vitiated on account of not making the HAC a

Manipur violence: Long-standing issue of ST status for Meitei torches state

The clashes in Manipur broke out between tribals and the majority Meitei community, following which 9,000 people have been displaced from their villages

Union govt ready to launch flagship scheme for Scheduled castes, tribes

The latest mission replaces two major programmes. As things stand, the two programmes are run by 41 central ministries and departments

85 trains cancelled, vehicles stranded amid protest for ST status in WB

Eighty-five trains were cancelled, and hundreds of vehicles remained stranded as different organisations of the Kudmi community continued their rail and road blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Thursday, demanding ST status, officials said. The protest started at 6 am on Tuesday with the blockade of the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, at Khemasuli in Kharagpur Local police station area by Kudmi Samaj West Bengal, they said. Another organisation of the community, Adivasi Kudmi Samaj, joined the protest on Wednesday, blocking the railway tracks at Khemasuli station in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section, and Kustaur station in Adra-Chandil section in Purulia district, they added. Among the trains cancelled on Thursday were Howrah-Pune Duranto Express, Howrah-Jagdalpur Express, Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express, Howrah-Ahmedabad Express, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Howrah-Ranchi Express, Shalimar-LTT Express, Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail and ...