Goa Assembly to Introduce Bill for Scheduled Tribes Reservation

A bill aimed at reserving seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa Legislative Assembly is expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. Currently, STs have no reserved seats in the assembly. The 'Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2024' seeks to amend this, empowering the Election Commission to adjust constituency delimitations based on the revised ST population figures.

A bill to reserve seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Goa Legislative Assembly will likely be introduced in the Lok Sabha this week.

Currently, the ST community has no reserved seats in the assembly, but amid growing demands, the 'Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2024' has been listed for discussion in the remaining Parliament session, ending on August 12.

The law ministry's bill will authorize the census commissioner to officially notify the ST population in Goa. Based on these figures, the Election Commission will amend the existing constituency orders to facilitate the reservation.

Once enacted, the bill will allow the Election Commission to readjust constituencies in line with the updated ST population data. The Union Cabinet approved the bill in March, shortly before the Lok Sabha elections were announced.

(With inputs from agencies.)