On Monday, the LOK SABHA passed a bill that designates the Darlong community as a sub-tribe of the Kuki in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Tripura. The government emphasized that all its tribal welfare schemes are “outcome driven.”
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, responding to the debate on the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, stated that the government is committed to improving the living conditions of tribal communities. He expressed confidence that positive results would soon be evident in areas such as health, education, and employment.
Munda highlighted the allocation of sufficient funds for tribal welfare and emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s belief that comprehensive national development is impossible without the development of tribal lands and communities.
In response to concerns raised during the debate, Munda mentioned that the Information and Technology Ministry has devised a plan to enhance broadband and 4G connectivity in aspirational districts. He assured that funds for this initiative would be allocated under the Scheduled Tribes component.
Opposition members advocated for a comprehensive legislation encompassing the inclusion of various castes from states into Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), rather than addressing it in a piecemeal fashion. In a separate development earlier in the day, a Bill was introduced to amend the SC/ST list in Uttar Pradesh. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urged the Centre to avoid piecemeal measures and instead enact comprehensive legislation for various states. Minister Munda denied claims that the Bill was influenced by the Uttar Pradesh polls, stating that the elections were over, and the legislation was unrelated to the electoral process.