Parliament today passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 with Rajya Sabha approving it today. The Lok Sabha had passed it in the last session.
The Bill seeks to give effect to proposals of Chhattisgardh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal to modify the list of Scheduled Castes. The proposal relates to the inclusion of certain communities, modification and removal of area restriction in respect of certain communities and exclusion of certain communities in the case of State of Odisha.
Replying to a discussion over the Bill Social Justice and Empower Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot said, the government is committed to the welfare of the SCs and STs communities and it has taken several steps in this direction. He said, the backlog vacancies in central government department are being filled. The Minister also added that the law has been made stringent to check atrocities against these communities.