PARLIAMENT PASSES CONSTITUTION (SC/ST) ORDERS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2002

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The Parliament passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2002 with Rajya Sabha passing the amendment by a voice vote today. The Bill amends the Constitution (SC/ST) Orders, 1950 in order to include SCs and STs of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the list of SCs/STs in Gujarat. The Bill, which was moved by the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya on last Thursday, received support from all sections of the House. Replying to the debate, Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya said that the government is committed to protect the interests and rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He assured the members about speeding up clearance of more than 500 proposals for new inclusions in the list of Scheduled Castes. As many as fourteen members participated in the debate.

The House also passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2002. It modifies the list of Scheduled Castes in respect of eight communities of Orissa, Punjab and West Bengal keeping in view their present social and economic condition. This Bill was also moved by Dr. Jatiya on May 9, 2002. Both the amendment bills were earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on May 2, 2002.