The Rajya Sabha, on Wednesday, passed by voice vote a bill to remove the Gond community of Uttar Pradesh from the Scheduled Castes to the Scheduled Tribes list. The Upper House passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 after a discussion.

Earlier, replying to the discussion on the bill, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is committed to the development of tribal communities and their areas in the country and this bill is the solution in that regard.

He said for the first time in 1980, a letter was received that people of a particular tribe live in large numbers in an area of Uttar Pradesh. He said that in this letter it was demanded that the people of this community should get justice under the Constitution.

He said that Prime Minister Modi has made an action plan regarding the fact that no tribal man or woman should be left behind in the matter of development in the 21st century.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, while replying to the discussion on the bill, said that through this law, the government has fulfilled the long-standing demand of a particular community. He said the government has taken several measures for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the country. Under this, the budget allocation for Scheduled Tribes has been increased from Rs. 24 thousand 594 crores in 2013-14 to more than Rs. 85 thousand 930 crores in 2021-2022.

This is a more than 270 per cent increase. Steps have also been taken for economic development. Referring to Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana, he said that it has been implemented in 35 thousand villages.

He said that in the name of industrialization and Naxalism, the land of tribals in the country was snatched away.

The Constitution – Scheduled Castes Order, 1950 and the Constitution – Scheduled Tribes – Uttar Pradesh Order, 1967 will be amended through this bill. Its objective is to amend the Supreme Court order excluding the Gond community from the category of Scheduled Castes in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar and Sant Ravidas Nagar and recognize them as Scheduled Castes in these districts.