Goa Assembly Bill Introduced for Scheduled Tribe Reservation

August 6, 2024

On August 5, 2024, the Union government introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to reserve seats for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Legislative Assembly, where currently no seats are allocated for them. The Bill is called the “Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024,” and was presented by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill gives the census commissioner the power to determine the ST population in Goa and announce the findings. This will allow the Election Commission (EC) to adjust assembly seats to ensure that the underrepresented ST community receives constitutional benefits.

Contextual Background

According to the 2011 census, Goa’s ST population has increased significantly from 566 in 2001 to 149,275 in 2011. This rise is due to the inclusion of three new communities—Kunbi, Gawda, and Velip—into the ST list in 2003. Despite this increase, no assembly seats have been reserved for STs, creating an unusual situation.

Current Assembly Structure

The Goa Assembly has 40 members, with only one seat reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), even though the 2011 census shows a much larger ST population. This disparity shows the need for legislative changes to ensure fair representation.

Implications of the Bill

The proposed Bill will help the EC by allowing an amendment to the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008. Once enacted, it will enable the adjustment of legislative constituency boundaries based on updated ST population statistics, creating reserved seats for STs.

Cabinet Approval and Legislative Process

The Union Cabinet endorsed the Bill in March, before the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced on March 16. Passing this Bill is essential for improving representation for Goa’s STs in governance.

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