Syllabus:

GS2: Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these. 

Context: 

Parliament has passed the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024. 

More on the News

• The bill aims at enabling reservation of seats for effective democratic participation of members of Scheduled Tribes and to provide for the readjustment of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa.
• It will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa and the Election Commission (EC) will amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008,
• The Act requires the Census Commissioner to estimate the population of persons belonging to ST communities in the state and the estimation will be based on the 2001 census.
• The Election Commission will make amendments to the Delimitation Order to provide for the reservation of seats in the Assembly.  This will be based on the population determined by the Census Commissioner.  
• The Election Commission must invite suggestions from the public and consider objections before making amendments to the Delimitation Order.  
• The reservation will be applicable to all elections held onward from the dissolution of the current Assembly.

Scheduled Tribes in Goa

• The population of Scheduled Tribes has significantly increased from 566 in 2001 to over one lakh 49 thousand in the State. 
• There was a provision of reservation for only the Scheduled Caste, but as the population of the Scheduled Tribes community has increased, it is necessary to grant reservation to ST in the state assembly. It is estimated that Goa has an ST population of 1.5 lakh.
• Out of the total 40 seats, only one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Caste, and there was no reservation for tribal members in the assembly.
• The government added three new communities, namely, Kunbi, Gawda, and Velip in the List of STs in Goa. This increased the ST population in the state.
• As of now no seat is reserved for ST community in Goa Assembly.

Sources:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bill-for-st-representation-in-goa-assembly-introduced-in-lok-sabha-9497175/ https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bill-to-provide-sts-representation-in-goa-assembly-introduced-in-lok-sabha/article68487477.ece