Lok Sabha Question No. 2032 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-19
Subject: ST List of West Bengal
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-   2032

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 19/12/2022

## ST LIST OF WEST BENGAL

## 2032. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government has  received the  representations  from  West  Bengal  regarding  the inclusion of various communities/castes into the Central Government's Scheduled Tribes list;

(b) if so, the details thereof including the action taken thereon;

(c) whether the Kol community  from  West  Bengal  has  been included in the Central Government's Scheduled Tribes list;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(e) any initiatives/measures taken by the Government for the welfare of tribal community in the country including West Bengal during the last three years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)

(a) & (b): Yes sir, representations from West Bengal have been received, regarding inclusion of various communities/castes in Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of West Bengal.  The Government of India has laid down the modalities for deciding the claims for inclusion in, exclusion from and other  modifications  in  the  Orders  specifying  lists  of  Scheduled  Tribes.  As  per  the  modalities, only those proposals which have been recommended and justified by the State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration concerned, can be processed further. Thereafter, it has to be concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) before being considered for amendment legislation. All actions are taken as per these approved modalities.

(c)  &  (d): Kol  community  has  not  been  included  in  the  list  of  STs  of  West  Bengal.  On  the proposal of State Government of West Bengal for including Kol in the list of STs, comments of Registrar General of India have been received which have been sent to the State Government.

(e): The  Government  has  adopted  a  multi-pronged  strategy  for  the  development  of  tribal population and to bring them into the mainstream of development. Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), now called Scheduled Tribe Component (STC), is a dedicated source of fund for tribal development and  conservation  and  promotion  of  tribal  culture,  language  and  traditions.   STC  is  a  multipronged  strategy which  includes  support  for education, health, sanitation,  water  supply, livelihood etc. Major part of infrastructure development in tribal dominated areas and provision of  basic  amenities  to  tribal  people  in  the  country  is  carried  out  through  various  schemes  / programmes of concerned Central Ministries and the State Governments concerned, while the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) provides additive to these initiatives by way of plugging gaps through its schemes, which are as follows:

1. Revamping of the Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Scheme as Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana to enable holistic development of the tribal population.
2. The  dedicated  Scheme  of  Development  of  Particularly  Vulnerable  Tribal  Groups  for important  gap  filling  activities  for  the  survival,  protection  and  development  of  PVTGs and which are not specifically catered to by any other scheme.
3. The 'Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India' which is aimed to enable the States to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the State for the purpose of promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in that State or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas therein to that of the administration of the rest of the areas of that State.
4. The  scheme  of  Eklavya  Model  Residential  School  (EMRS) enables  ST  students  from Classes 6 th to 12 th to access the best opportunities in education and to bring them at par with the general population.
5. The  Ministry  administers  five  scholarship  schemes,  catering  to  students  studying  in classes 9 th till Post-Doctoral Research, including for studying abroad in accordance with the guidelines of the concerned scheme.
6. The  scheme  of  grant-in-aid  to  voluntary  organizations  working  for  the  welfare  of scheduled tribes has the prime objective to enhance the reach of welfare schemes of the Government and fill gaps in the sectors such as education and health in service deficient tribal areas through the efforts of voluntary organizations.
7. 'Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRI)' aims to strengthen  Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) in various activities.
8. The  scheme  of  Tribal  Festival,  Research  Information  and  Mass  Education  utilizes  the expertise  of  reputed  organizations,  research  institutes,  universities  to  create  replicable models in areas of education, health, livelihood, digital governance etc.
9. The scheme of Marketing and Logistics Development for Promoting Tribal Products from North Eastern Region has been recently introduced, to be implemented for a period of two years, with TRIFED as the nodal agency for the same.
10. The schemes of the Ministry have now been merged into the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas  Mission  viz  (a)  'Mechanism  for  Marketing  of  Minor  Forest  Produce  and Development of the Value Chain for MFP' and (b) the scheme of Institutional Support to TRIFED for Marketing Development and Marketing of Tribal Products.

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