BHUBANESWAR : In a long-awaited move that would open up the gates of development for a number of tribal communities of Odisha, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for approval.
After the Presidential order, there will be two new entries in the list of 62 ST communities of the state increasing it to 64. The new entries in the ST list are Muka Dora, Mooka Dora, Nuka Dora, Nooka Dora who are present in the undivided Koraput district which includes Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Malkangiri districts. Besides, Konda Reddy, Konda Reddi will also be included.Similarly, two communities listed as SCs - Tamadia and Tamudia - will be removed from the SC list and included in the ST list under Bhumij category.
In addition to this, four particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) will be added to the ST list of Odisha as synonyms of communities that have already been on the list. They are Pauri Bhuyan, Paudi Bhuyan as synonyms of Bhuiya, Bhuyan; Chuktia Bhunjia as synonym of Bhunjia; Bondo as sub-entry under ST’s Bondo Poraja, Bonda Paroja, Banda Paroja; and Mankidia as synonym of ST Mankirdia.
Anthropologist and former director of Tribal Research Institute, Odisha, Akhila B Ota said as a result of this historic decision, the communities will be included either as a synonym, phonetic variation, subset of an existing ST community or as a new entry under 13 existing ST communities.
“Because of the decision for which proposals were sent by the state government at different points of time starting from 1978, a large number of eligible communities which were left out from the ST list and deprived of getting benefits will now be able to get the status/entitlement of STs which they were denied since 1950,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan told the Rajya Sabha that the Constitutionally sanctioned rights and protection of tribals will not be compromised under any circumstances.
“Through this historic bill, the four PVTGs and more than 50 sub-tribes will get their Constitutional rights, which they were denied for the last 75 years,” Pradhan said.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda for making it possible. This will have a huge socio-economic impact on the entire tribal population of Odisha, he said.
NEW ADDITION
Two new entries in the list of ST Communities of Odisha
Muka Dora, Mooka Dora, Nuka Dora, Nooka Dora
Konda Reddy, Konda Reddi
Two communities listed as SCs - Tamadia and Tamudia - to be deleted from SC list and included in ST list under Bhumij
Inclusion of 4 PVTGs in ST list of Odisha
Pauri Bhuyan, Paudi Bhuyan as synonyms of Bhuiya, Bhuyan
Chuktia Bhunjia as synonym of Bhunjia
Bondo as sub-entry under Bondo Poraja, Bonda Paroja, Banda Paroja
Mankidia as synonym of Mankirdia