Rajya Sabha passes Bill for inclusion of Hattee community of Trans Giri area in Himachal in Scheduled Tribes list

New Delhi [India]: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill with a voice vote to include the Hattee community of the Trans Giri area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

Speaking on the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the the Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 which lists the tribal communities deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in States and Union Territories.

The Minister said demands for inclusion of Hatti tribe in the Trans- Giri area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh have been pending for a long time, and their inclusion to the Scheduled Tribes list will help them in providing long pending justice.

The Minister mentioned that the border sharing people from four blocks of Tran Giri of Himachal Pradesh have their relatives identified as Scheduled Tribes in Uttarakhand.

Responding to the members, Munda said it is the responsibility of respective Governments to ensure no tribal land alienation takes place in their states.

He also listed the number of initiatives taken up by the Tribal Affairs Ministry in the field of health and education in tribal dominant areas.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year.

On September 14, 2022, the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the addition of some Tribes in the list of Himachal Pradesh.

The process to include tribes in the Scheduled Tribes list begins with the recommendation from the respective state governments, which are then sent to the Tribal Affairs Ministry, which reviews and sends them to the Registrar General of India for approval.

This is followed by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes’ approval before the list is sent to the Cabinet for a final decision.

At present Bhot, Bodh; Gaddi; Gujjar; Jad, Lamba, Khampa; Kanaura, Kinnara; Lahaula; Pangwala; Swangla; Beta, Beda; and Domba, Gara, Zoba tribes are included in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh hovernment had earlier requested the Centre to include Hattee community of Trans Giri area of Sirmour district in Scheduled Tribes list, excluding those communitieswhich are already notified as Scheduled Castes for the state.

On the basis of recommendation of the state government, the Government of India proposed to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in respect of State of Himachal Pradesh by amending the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.