New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the bill to remove the Bhogta caste from the list of scheduled castes, and include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) for Jharkhand. The development came one day after the RS began discussions about the bill on Tuesday. The bill was introduced in the Upper House on February 7th.

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda moved the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which also aims to help beneficiaries tap better into the provisions of reservation in education and government jobs, for discussion. The discussion on the bill was due in the Upper House today. The bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

The Scheduled Castes Order specifies the castes, races and tribes deemed to be Scheduled Castes in various states and union territories, while the Scheduled Tribes Order specifies the same for tribes and tribal communities. The bill amends the schedule to the Scheduled Tribes Order to include Deshwari, Ganjhu, Dautalbandi (Dwalbandi), Patbandi, Raut, Maajhia, Khairi (Kheri), Tamaria (Tamadia), and Puran communities in the Scheduled Tribes list in Jharkhand.