Inclusion of Ethnic Communities in the Scheduled Tribes List

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs informed Lok Sabha about the ongoing process for including six communities from Assam in the Scheduled Tribes list.

The procedure involves recommendations from the state government and concurrence from the RGI and NCST, following established modalities from 1999. The Ministry clarified that no constitutional provision exists for granting interim ST status, and a reconstituted Assam committee is addressing reservation and safeguards for these communities.