Government of India reviews Sikkim communities for Scheduled Tribes inclusion

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has provided a detailed response to the questions posed by Dorjee Tshering Lepcha concerning the inclusion of 12 left-out communities from Sikkim in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.

Durgadas Uikey, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, stated that the Government of India follows approved modalities for determining the inclusion of communities in the ST list. 

The process requires ethnographic reports and recommendations by the concerned State Government or Union Territory Administration. 

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The proposals are reviewed by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) before being considered for legislative amendments.

The proposals for 11 communities from Sikkim were not supported by the RGI and have been referred back to the State Government for further clarification. Welfare measures for these communities will be addressed upon their official inclusion in the ST list.