Rajya Sabha Passes Bill to Include Hattee Community in Himachal Pradesh’s Scheduled Tribes List

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, with a voice vote. The Bill aims to include the Hattee community from the Trans Giri area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda spoke about the significance of the Bill, stating that it seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, which enlists the tribal communities considered Scheduled Tribes in States and Union Territories. The inclusion of the Hatti tribe from the Trans-Giri area has been a longstanding demand, and this addition to the Scheduled Tribes list will bring them long-awaited justice.

Minister Munda also mentioned that relatives of the border-sharing people from four blocks of Tran Giri in Himachal Pradesh are already identified as Scheduled Tribes in Uttarakhand.

Responding to members’ concerns, the Minister assured that it is the responsibility of respective state governments to prevent tribal land alienation in their states. He also highlighted various initiatives taken by the Tribal Affairs Ministry in the fields of health and education in tribal-dominant areas.

The Bill had previously been passed by the Lok Sabha in December of the preceding year. The process of including tribes in the Scheduled Tribes list starts with recommendations from respective state governments, which are then reviewed by the Tribal Affairs Ministry. Subsequently, the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes’ approvals are sought before the final decision is made by the Cabinet.

Presently, Bhot, Bodh; Gaddi; Gujjar; Jad, Lamba, Khampa; Kanaura, Kinnara; Lahaula; Pangwala; Swangla; Beta, Beda; and Domba, Gara, Zoba tribes are already included in Himachal Pradesh’s Scheduled Tribes list.

Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh government had made a request to the Central Government to include the Hattee community from the Trans Giri area of Sirmour district in the Scheduled Tribes list, excluding those communities that are already notified as Scheduled Castes in the state. Based on the state government’s recommendation, the Government of India proposed the modification of the Scheduled Tribes list for Himachal Pradesh by amending the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

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