After completion of the Question Hour at 1 pm, the House adopted a motion moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to suspend the provisions of Rule 17 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Rajya Sabha for consideration and passing of three bills -- The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill, 2024.
Thereafter, Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda moved the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha.
One bill seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh and the other is for modifying the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Odisha by including more communities in the list.
Members across party lines expressed their views on the two legislations, including from the BJP, Congress, TDP, DMK, Trinamool Congress, BJD and AIADMK.
Santanu Sen of the TMC said that "while standing to speak on this bill, it really gives me pain when I recall that the respected President of India who belongs to a tribal community is not invited during the inauguration of this new Parliament building or during the Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya. This reflects how this government respects the tribal communities at large."
L Hanumanthaiah of the Congress sought to know why the government cannot look at the whole Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes list afresh and make it an inclusive list of SCs and STs across the country at a time so that this problem will not be there and every now and then we need not have to amend these bills from time to time.
{{/usCountry}}L Hanumanthaiah of the Congress sought to know why the government cannot look at the whole Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes list afresh and make it an inclusive list of SCs and STs across the country at a time so that this problem will not be there and every now and then we need not have to amend these bills from time to time.
{{/usCountry}}The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill is also listed for consideration and passing in the Tuesday's schedule of the Rajya Sabha.