After the passage of the bill, Sandhya Ray, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings for the day as protests by opposition MPs continued unabated.
According to the Bill, the population of the Scheduled Tribes has increased considerably in Goa as per the 2011 census vis- -vis 2001 census figures.
It noted that a “peculiar situation” has arisen in the state, wherein the population of the STs there vis- -vis the population of SCs is considerably higher — as per the Primary Census Abstract, 2011 for Goa.
The total population was 14,58,545; the population of SCs was 25,449 and the population of STs was 1,49,275.
“But no seats are reserved for the STs and they are unable to avail the constitutional benefit of reservation…”
As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community, while one seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes.