Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa Legislative Assembly. As of now, the ST community has no seats reserved in the State's Assembly.

The Bill is titled Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 and will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa. According to the Bill, the population of the Scheduled Tribes has increased considerably in Goa as per 2011 census vis-à-vis 2001 census figures. It noted that a “peculiar situation” has arisen in the State, wherein the population of the STs there vis-à-vis the population of SCs is considerably higher -- as per the Primary Census Abstract, 2011 for Goa. The total population was 14,58,545; the population of SCs was 25,449 and the population of STs was 1,49,275. “But no seats are reserved for the STs and they are unable to avail the constitutional benefit of reservation...”

As there is no power with the Election Commission to determine the number of seats for SCs and STs in any State prior to the next census, the Bill was being brought to provide for enabling provisions. The Bill will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa. Based on it, the Election Commission will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to make way for ST reservation in the 40-member Goa Assembly.

The EC will take into consideration the revised population figures of STs and readjust the Legislative Assembly constituency once the Bill becomes a law. The proposal to bring the Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet in March this year. As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa Assembly is reserved for the ST community while one seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes.