The Rajya Sabha on December 14, 2022 passed a bill that seeks to include the Gond community in the Scheduled Tribes category in four districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Key points
- The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, which was introduced by tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda on December 13, was passed by a voice vote.
- The bill provides for inclusion of the Gond community in the Scheduled Tribes category in Chandauli, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar and Sant Ravidas Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh, and recognise the community as ST in these four districts.
- The bill was earlier passed in the Lok Sabha on April 1.
Criteria for inclusion
- The current criteria for inclusion of community in tribes is laid down by the Lokur Committee These are: presence of primitive traits; distinctive culture; isolation; reclusiveness of the community; and backwardness.
