New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Opposition members in the Lok Sabha, including Congress MP Viriato Fernandes and Trinamool Congress' Pratima Mondal, on Tuesday accused the government of not taking meaningful steps for the benefit of Scheduled Tribe communities.

Participating in a debate on a bill to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa Legislative Assembly, Fernandes said there are doubts about the real intention of the BJP-led government in bringing this bill.

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Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved the bill for consideration and passage.

As of now, the ST community has no seats reserved in the Goa Assembly.

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The bill is titled Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 and will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa.

Meghwal said that the bill would provide representation to STs in the state assembly.

Fernandes, a Member of Parliament from the South Goa constituency, said that the UPA government took a series of measures for the welfare of the tribal community in India.

He also said that the present government has delayed bringing the bill.

"I hope the government does not delay the passage of this bill," he said.

Samajwadi Party leader Chhotelal also said that the bill was introduced after a long delay which shows that the government is "not concerned" about the community.

"After being in the government for 10 years, now you are remembering the STs," he said adding the government should conduct a caste census first.

Instead of 'one nation, one election', the government should first bring "one education and one healthcare" as it would help the tribal community of the country, Chhotelal said.

He demanded the inclusion of more communities under the ST category in states including Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

He also suggested that the government include all the laws related to ST reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, which exempts judicial scrutiny.

Echoing similar views, Mondal said that the government is good at talking but "will not do anything" for SCs and STS.

"They only make false promises... The bill relies on the 2001 census which is outdated. Reliance on old data undermines the objectives of fair representation of STs," she said and asked, "Why did the government wait till 2024 to bring this bill".

She also alleged that if this bill is enacted, the ST community has to wait till the next election.

DMK member D M Kathir Anand said that the government has not applied its knowledge while drafting this bill.

They should use new census data and not the old one for this, he said adding census should be done on time.

"The government should act now and the prime minister and the finance minister should allocate enough funds for the census," he said.

However, D Patel of the BJP said that it was the Modi government that has taken a series of steps for the welfare and development of the ST community.

The government has opened over 1,000 Eklavya Model Residential Schools for tribals of the country, Patel said alleging the UPA did nothing for them.

Supporting the bill, G Lakshminarayana Valmiki (TDP) said that it is a much-needed legislation.

According to the Bill, the population of the Scheduled Tribes has increased considerably in Goa as per the 2011 census compared to the 2001 census figures.

It noted that a "peculiar situation" has arisen in the state, wherein the population of the STs compared to the population of SCs is considerably higher -- as per the Primary Census Abstract, 2011 for Goa.

The total population was 14,58,545; the population of SCs was 25,449 and the population of STs was 1,49,275.

As there is no power with the Election Commission to determine the number of seats for SCs and STs in any state prior to the next census, the bill was being brought to provide for enabling provisions.

The Bill will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa.

Based on it, the Election Commission will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to make way for ST reservation in the 40-member Goa assembly.

The EC will take into consideration the revised population figures of STs and readjust the legislative assembly constituencies once the Bill becomes a law.

As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community while one seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)