PANAJI: Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has sought President of India Droupadi Murmu's immediate intervention to notify Scheduled Tribe (ST) villages in the State, stressing that it is critical for the development and welfare of Goa’s tribal communities.
Tawadkar, who led a six-member Goa delegation to the ‘Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, recalled the long struggle of the State’s tribal population for recognition. He urged the Centre to expedite the process of notifying ST areas for Goa’s progress, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for granting political reservation to the community.
Speaking at the event, Tawadkar highlighted that Goa, despite being known worldwide as a tourist destination, is also home to a 12% tribal population that had to fight for decades to secure tribal status. He recounted that this recognition was finally accorded in 2003 under the leadership of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Despite the long struggle, our demand for the notification of Scheduled Areas remains pending. This must be addressed to enable comprehensive tribal development,” he said.
The Goa Chief Minister had recently admitted on the floor of the Assembly that the State government has not yet notified ST villages. He cited “technical issues” for the delay but assured that the matter would be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, it has also emerged that the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) in Goa has been defunct for the past three years. The council, constituted on April 28, 2021, under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, has not held a single meeting in 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25.
