Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal Ministry for specification of a community as Scheduled Tribes (STs) under Article 342 of the Constitution. Responsibility for issuance and verification of STs Certificate and social status rests with concerned State Government / UT Administration.

The Government of India on 15.6.1999 (further amended on 25.6.2002) has laid down the modalities for deciding the claims for inclusion in, exclusion from and other modifications in Orders specifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists. As per the modalities, only those proposals which have been recommended and justified by the concerned State Government / UT Administration and concurred with by Registrar General of India (RGI) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) are to be considered and legislation amended.

All action for inclusion or exclusion of communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes is taken as per these approved modalities.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Sudarshan Bhagat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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NB/SK/jk/Tribal Affairs-LS-02/7-01-2019