Question : INCLUSION IN ST LISTS

(a) whether the Government has laid down any procedure for awarding the status of scheduled tribes to those tribes which are eligible for getting the said status;

(b) if so, whether as per the said procedure the states are required to recommend the tribes meeting the eligibility criteria for the scheduled tribes for providing the said status to those tribes;

(c) if so, whether several tribes such as Dhangar community from Maharashtra and various others, which are eligible for getting the said status for want of State Government`s recommendations in this regard; and

(d) if so, the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA)

(a) & (b): The Government of India on 15-6-1999, and further amended on 25-6-2002, has laid down the modalities for determining the claims for inclusion in, exclusion from and other modifications in the orders specifying list of Scheduled Tribes. According to these modalities, only those proposals which have been recommended and justified by the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration and concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) are to be considered for amendment of legislation.

(c) & (d): Any legislation for amendment to the orders specifying lists for Scheduled Tribes, can be made after following the above criteria and procedure.