Question : INCLUSION OF GOWARI COMMUNITY IN THE STS LIST

(a) whether the Joint Committee on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Bill,1967 has submitted its report;

(b) if so, whether the Joint Committee had recommended the inclusion of Gowari community as Scheduled Tribes in the Districts of Amravati,Bhandara,Buldhana,Chanda,Nagpur,Wardha and Yavatmal of Maharashtra State;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon;

(d) whether the Government proposes to introduce a legislation for the revision of the list of Scheduled Tribes;and

(e) if so, the time by which it would be introduced?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS(Dr. RAMESHWAR ORAON)

(a) to (c): Yes, Sir.The Bill,which was taken up for consideration in Lok Sabha in 1970,lapsed with its dissolution.

(d) & (e): The proposal for inclusion of ‘Gowari’ Community in the list of Scheduled Tribes for Maharashtra has been processed as per the modalities approved in June,1999 for deciding claims for inclusion in,exclusion from and other modifications in the Orders specifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists.According to these modalities,only those proposals,which have been recommended and justified by the concerned State Government,the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes are to be considered for amendment of legislation.The State Government of Maharashtra has not agreed to the proposal for inclusion of ‘Gowari’ community in the list of Scheduled Tribes.