• The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Thaawar Chand Gehlot on August 11, 2014. 

• The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Castes Order, 1978.  It includes certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tripura.  The Bill also removes a community from the list of Scheduled Castes in Sikkim. 

• Article 341 of the Constitution empowers the President to specify castes which will be deemed as Scheduled Castes through a notification.  It also empowers Parliament to include or exclude castes from the list of Scheduled Castes in the notification. 

• The Bill includes the following communities to the list of Scheduled Castes:
  • Kerala: Pulluvan, Thachar (other than ‘Carpenter’)
  • Madhya Pradesh: Dahiya
  • Odisha: Amata, Amath, Bajia, Jaggili, Jagli, Buna Pano
  • Tripura: Chamar-Rohidas, Chamar-Ravidas, Dhobi, Jhalo-Malo

• The Bill removes the Majhi (Nepali) community from the list of Scheduled Castes in Sikkim.

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