New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, with a voice vote on Wednesday. The bill aims to include the Hattee community of the Trans Giri area in Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, in the list of Scheduled Tribes. Arjun Munda, the Tribal Affairs Minister, spoke about the amendment and highlighted that the inclusion of the Hatti tribe in the Scheduled Tribes list is a long-pending demand that will provide them with much-needed justice. He also pointed out that people from the border-sharing areas in four blocks of Trans Giri in Himachal Pradesh have relatives who are identified as Scheduled Tribes in Uttarakhand.
Munda assured the members that it is the responsibility of the respective state governments to prevent any alienation of tribal land in their regions. He further mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the Tribal Affairs Ministry in the fields of health and education in tribal-dominant areas.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in December of the previous year. On September 14, 2022, the Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the addition of certain tribes to the list of Scheduled Tribes for Himachal Pradesh. The process of inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list begins with recommendations from the respective state governments, which are then reviewed by the Tribal Affairs Ministry before being sent to the Registrar General of India for approval. After approval from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, the list is presented to the Cabinet for a final decision.
Currently, the Scheduled Tribes list in Himachal Pradesh includes tribes such as Bhot, Bodh, Gaddi, Gujjar, Jad, Lamba, Khampa, Kanaura, Kinnara, Lahaula, Pangwala, Swangla, Beta, Beda, Domba, Gara, and Zoba.
The Himachal Pradesh government had previously requested the Centre to include the Hattee community of the Trans Giri area in the Scheduled Tribes list, excluding those communities that are already recognised as Scheduled Castes in the state. Based on the state government’s recommendation, the Government of India proposed the modification of the Scheduled Tribes list for Himachal Pradesh by amending the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
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