The proceedings of the Lok Sabha are underway during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on August 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Union government on August 5 introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to reserve constituencies for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Legislative Assembly, where no seat is currently reserved for STs.
The Bill — Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 — was introduced in the Lower House by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
It is meant to empower the census commissioner to “ascertain or estimate” the population of STs in Goa and subsequently notify them. Further, it enables the Election Commission (EC) to readjust the seats in the Goa Assembly and reserve seats for STs accordingly.
According to the Bill, the population of the Scheduled Tribes had increased considerably in Goa as per the 2011 census compared to the figures from the 2001 census.
While the 2001 census recorded 566 ST people in Goa, the 2011 census recorded the ST population of Goa to be at 1,49,275. A significant reason for this increase in the ST population was that three new communities — Kunbi, Gawda, and Velip — had been added to Goa’s ST list in 2003.
‘Peculiar situation’
The Bill noted that a “peculiar situation” has arisen in the State, wherein the population of the STs there vis-à-vis the population of SCs is considerably higher — as per the Primary Census Abstract, 2011 for Goa.
“But no seats are reserved for the STs and they are unable to avail the constitutional benefit of reservation…”
Currently, the 40-member Goa Assembly has one seat reserved for Scheduled Castes (2011 population: 25,449) but none reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
As the EC does not have the power to determine the number of seats for SCs and STs in any State before the next census, the Bill was being brought to provide for enabling provisions. It will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa.
Based on this, the EC will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to make way for ST reservation in the 40-member Goa assembly.
The EC will take into consideration the revised population figures of STs and readjust the legislative assembly constituency once the Bill becomes law.
The proposal to bring the Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet in March this year, days before the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections was announced on March 16.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.