India passes constitutional amendments on local body quotas and to amend list of scheduled tribes

The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 – all of which were cleared by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday – were tabled and passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha. [...] The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to provide reservation to OBCs in panchayats and municipalities in Jammu & Kashmir and bring consistency in the local body laws of the Union territory with the provisions of the Constitution. Currently, there is no provision for reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes [OBCs] in panchayats and municipalities of the Union territory. [...] The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to amend the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order of 1956, which lists the castes deemed to be Scheduled Castes in Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. The legislation adds the Valmiki community as a synonym of Chura, Balmiki, Bhangi, and Mehtar communities in the list of Scheduled Castes in Jammu & Kashmir. [...] The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to amend the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order, 1989 and proposes the creation of separate lists of Scheduled Tribes for the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The legislation also adds Gadda Brahmin, Koli, Paddari Tribe, and Pahari Ethnic Group communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Jammu & Kashmir. [...] On [9 February], Munda said: “The reservation already available for existing tribes will be maintained...” Opposition members, however, raised concerns over the three legislations. Congress’s Neeraj Dangi questioned the formulation of reservation policies in the absence of adequate data on reserved categories. “How do we make policies without data on reserved categories?” Dangi said. CPI’S Sandosh Kumar P stressed the need for an elected state assembly in Jammu & Kashmir and questioned the basis for the OBC reservation. “We all support an OBC reservation. But where is the data available?” he said.
Read the full article here: Hindustan Times