Inclusion of 12 Sikkim communities in ST list issue raised in RS

Sikkim, August 7: The Rajya Sabha recently addressed a pressing issue concerning the inclusion of 12 left-out communities in Sikkim into the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.

Sole Rajya Sabha MP of the state, Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, raised the question, prompting a detailed response from the Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Durgadas Uikey.

Minister Uikey explained in his answer that the government follows a structured protocol for adding or removing communities from the ST list. Proposals for inclusion must be recommended by the state or union territory governments, supported by detailed ethnographic reports. These proposals are then reviewed by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) before any legislative changes are made.

He further said that the process of including communities in the ST list is ongoing and involves thorough examination at multiple stages. In the case of Sikkim, the government had proposed the inclusion of 11 communities. However, the RGI did not support this proposal, and it has been sent back to the state government for further information.

Addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by these communities, the Minister stated that the benefits designated for Scheduled Tribes could not be extended to them until they are officially recognized as STs. Therefore, the government is limited in its ability to provide targeted welfare measures for these communities until the formal inclusion process is completed.

The inclusion of Sikkim's left-out communities in the ST list remains a complex and ongoing process, with multiple levels of governmental review required. The socio-economic welfare of these communities depends on their eventual recognition, which necessitates adherence to established procedural guidelines and thorough verification.