December 14, 2022
Pratima Mondal’s speech on The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022
Thank you, hon. Chairperson, Sir, for allowing me to speak on the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022. Sir, the Scheduled Tribes are among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. They have been facing problems from colonial India to the present time. The tribal population of the country, as per 2011 Census report, is around 10.43 crores, constituting 8.6 per cent of the total population of our country. About 89.97 per cent of them live in rural areas and 10.03 per cent of them live in urban areas. Inclusion of more tribes into the List of Scheduled Tribes is surely a welcome step. And for this, I would like to acknowledge the efforts and thank the researchers working in the sphere of the legislative procedure of the Central Government. But this is just a step. Inclusion is just the beginning. There is a long way and that has to covered to benefit the indigenous people in reality. Sir, the Bill seeks to include Narikoravan and KuruvikaranTribes of Tamil Nadu into the List of Scheduled Tribes. This has been a much-awaited step and I support the decision of the Government. Here, I would like to put forth that the Narikuravar, a seminomadic tribe, originated in Northern India before migrating south to Tamil Nadu about half a millennia ago. They have lived at the margins of the society in dire poverty, making and selling beads and other small ornaments in local markets. The literacy level in both these tribal groups have been extremely low. Due to lack of knowledge and extremely low income, the cycle of poverty is continuing generation after generation. Thus, the need of the hour is to provide the youth a platform for free education and skill development in order to help in their upliftment and better future. Sir, inequality is the most prominent disadvantage witnessed among the Scheduled Tribes of India and that too in every State. Beginning from birth to reaching to the pinnacle of career, at every step, they face challenges. There is a lack of proper health centre in areas inhibited by Scheduled Tribes and thus, there is a higher infant and maternal mortality rate amongst them. According to the paper titled ‘Infant mortality amongst Scheduled Tribes in Central India’, published by Mr. Arvind Verma and Mr. Kalyan Saha, the infant mortality rate of India stands at 40 per thousand live births whereas amongst ST population, it stands at 84. This is a horrifying picture. In States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, the figure is beyond 100. Has the Government looked at this disparity and tried to resolve the problem? I agree that an overnight change is not possible in this sphere but quick steps like appointment by the Governments can, obviously, be helpful. Thousands of posts are lying vacant in diverse branches but ST and SC people are not employed. The amount allocated for their upliftment are lying either unutilised or diverted in other areas. The member representing Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population in the Supreme Court of India is next to nil. It seems that with every step forward, we are, actually, taking a long stride backwards. This needs the immediate attention of the Government coupled with willingness to uplift this society. Sir, forests are one of the major resources of livelihood for the Scheduled Tribes. But due to Government actions, these are being taken away from them. As many as 1,50,000 applications for individual forest rights, in a single State like Odisha, have been rejected without any reason. Sir, not just that, the indigenous people have no say in the matter related to their forest rights. The Government has taken the matter solely in his own hand. Thus, changes brought in laws and rules are harming the people instead of helping them. The Narikuravar share religious, cultural, and political characteristics with many of the Roma groups in Europe.Sir, traditionally, the Narikoravans are hunters as the name means ‘fox or jackal hunters’. Since hunting was outlawed in the country, these people have been pushed into dire poverty. Due to this, education is a big problem of the community. Only a small number of children get the opportunity to have access to education in their mother tongue. Again, majority of the students drop out of school. … There is a low-level school learning among children not only because of the household or personal reasons but also due to lack of Government’s efforts. Thus, the main thrust should be given on spreading education. The vulnerability of the tribal community in India makes them solely dependent upon the Government services in order to lead a good human life, thus making it imperative for a public policy shift. Sir, I would like to put forth that the Government of West Bengal, under the leadership of our hon. Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has launched unique schemes named Aikyashree and OASIS. These are the scholarship programmes which aim to uplift the SC/ST students in terms of providing them higher education. Not only that, through the Schemes like Taposili Bandu and Jai Johar, the Government of West Bengal is providing Rs. 1000 to the SC/ST people on attaining the age of 60 years. … Also, the Government of West Bengal has sent a proposal for inclusion of 11 tribal groups in the list of Scheduled Tribes, namely the Khas, Bhujel, Newar, etc. I would like to request the hon. Minister to look into this matter and take immediate steps for inclusion of these tribes in the Scheduled Tribes list. Finally, I would like to conclude by quoting two lines of the Vishwakavi Rabindranath Thakur: “Jare Tumi Niche Felo, Se Tomare Badhibe Je Niche Poschate Rekhecho jare, Se Tomare Poschate Taniche”
