Context

Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in Tamil Nadu.

Background

• Lokur Committee and the Joint Committee of Parliament had recommended the inclusion of the community in 1965 and 1967 respectively.
• The Narikoravars constitute one of the most deprived and vulnerable communities in Tamil Nadu and therefore deserve all constitutional protection and welfare measures envisaged, by its inclusion in the list of STs.

Process of Inclusion in ST list:

• The process begins at the level of a State or Union Territory with the concerned government or administration seeking the addition or exclusion of a particular community from the SC or ST list.
• The final decision rests with the President’s office issuing a notification specifying the changes under powers vested in it from Articles 341 and 342.
• The inclusion or exclusion of any community in the Scheduled Tribes or Scheduled Castes list comes into effect only after the President assents to a Bill that amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 as is appropriate after it is passed by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Criteria for ST list inclusion:

• To establish whether a community is a Scheduled Tribe, the government looks at several criteria, including its ethnological traits, traditional characteristics, distinctive culture, geographical isolation and backwardness.