December 19, 2022
Pratima Mondal raised several problems being faced by the people from ST communities while speaking on The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022
Thank you, hon. Chairperson, Sir, for allowing me to speak on the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022. Sir, the Bill seeks to include Kadu Kuruba and Betta Kuruba Tribes of Karnataka into the list of Scheduled Tribes. They have been demanding to be included in this Scheduled Tribes category for the last 30 years. So, it is a welcome step and I support the decision of the Government. The Government has come with four separate Bills with the same objective for inclusion of tribal communities in the ST category. Today is the fourth day of discussion that we have been taking part in the discussion and one or two more days may be required to complete the discussion. Instead of four Bills, the Government could have brought a comprehensive Bill, as rightly pointed by a couple of Members. But I do not want to go further into this point. In the post-Independence era, tribal land has gradually been taken away by industries, dams, mines, weaponry testing, reserved forests, railways, transport, and for such other purposes. This shows the magnitude of development-induced displacement. Once proud communities living self sufficiently have now been reduced to landless refugees, struggling to survive. To come under the purview of rehabilitation and getting compensation, land deed is one of the most important documents. But majority of the tribal communities do not have land records to establish their claim. I would like to know from the hon. Minister when the Government intends to resolve these burning issues by giving importance to the implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. It is not just this point but an expert, Shri R.V. Chandrasekhar Ramanahalli of Centre for Studies of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru has conducted an extensive study on the rehabilitation and resettlement of tribal communities in Karnataka. He informs that Village Forest Committees or Gram Sabhas are constituted in such a manner that no one speaks about the right of the tribals in the forest. This is the scenario in our country. I request the hon. Minister to take note of this aspect. According to the 1991 census, nearly 70 per cent of the tribals are illiterate. Though the Government had sanctioned record number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, these institutions have been suffering from severe lack of teaching staff and poor infrastructure. Has the Ministry taken up the matter with the Ministry of Human Resource Development to fill up the vacant posts as early as possible? Inclusion of more tribals in the list of Scheduled Tribes category is not enough but allocation of more fund is the need of the hour for overall development in order to prevent them from becoming Maoists. This is possible only through developmental programmes. I would like to bring to the attention of the House that the Government of West Bengal, under the leadership of our hon. Chief Minister, Kumari Mamata Banerjee, has proved it in Jangal Mahal through implementation of developmental schemes. These schemes relate to providing education, skill development, free ration, road connectivity, supply of drinking water, and electricity. The hon. Prime Minister called for TB Mukt Bharat by 2025. In order to achieve this target, malnutrition has to be eradicated because malnutrition leads to secondary immuno-deficiency that increases the risk of infection. In patients with tuberculosis, it leads to reduction in appetite and alters metabolism leading to wasting. All these components, namely, malnutrition, stunting, and wasting are measures of calculating Global Hunger Index. Sir, how much ever the Government says that the calculation method of Global Hunger Index is wrong, it is an indication of the serious situation in India. The majority share of the people suffering from it are from SCs, STs and other under-privileged people. How will the Government ensure that they have access to proper nutrition in order to achieve the target of TB Mukht Bharat? Finally, on 28th February, 2022, the Government of West Bengal had sent a proposal to the Central Government for inclusion of 11 tribal communities, namely, Khas, Rai, Bhujel, Jogi, Newar, Mangar, Thami, Sunuwar, Mukhia, Gurung, Dewan, Dimang which have already been acknowledged by the Minister of States for Tribal Affairs in his reply on 14.12.2022 in Rajya Sabha to an Unstarred Question. Till date, no action has been taken. So, I would like to request the hon. Minister to kindly look into the matter and take necessary steps at the earliest. Thank you.
