Lok Sabha Constitutional Amendment Bill empowering States to modify SCs list

A bill to amend the Constitution Scheduled Castes Order 1950 was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday. The Constitution Scheduled Castes Order Amendment Bill, 2016 seeks to give effect to proposals of Chhattisgarh, 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. The Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes have already conveyed their concurrence to the modifications.

Replying to the debate on the bill, Minister for Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot said, the government has brought several schemes for the upliftment of SCs, STs and OBCs.