RS passes bill granting ST status for Narikuravars
NEW DELHI: The government’s efforts to get a bill seeking to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Narikuravan and Kurivikkaran communities in Tamil Nadu succeeded in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday when the House passed the bill.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed through a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha that was moved by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda. It is to be noted that the bill followed the suggestion of the Tamil Nadu government that the two communities be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the state.
Speaking on the Bill, Munda said the communities have been deprived of their rights even after the Independence of the country. M Thambidurai of the AIADMK supported the bill saying that some more communities from Tamil Nadu deserve to be included in the list of ST.
He demanded that fishermen be included also into the tribal communities in Tamil Nadu in addition to other communities such as Vamiki, Vaduga and kuruba which need to be included in the tribe list. Tiruchi Siva said,
“After seven decades of independence and becoming a republic, now we are identifying some of the communities to be brought under the tribes.” S Mohamed Abdullah of DMK, K Laxman of BJP, Ryaga Krishnaiah of YSRCP, KRN Rajesh Kumar of DMK also supported the bill.