Panaji: Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Saturday said that he will lead the delegation to Delhi on February with the demand to expedite the process for reserving seats for Scheduled Tribe community in state legislative assembly.
Responding to the Calling Attention moved on the floor of the House by the opposition benches, Sawant said that ST reservation of seats would be a reality in 2027 Goa legislative assembly elections.
The Tribal community has been protesting pressing for their rights of reservation of seats in the Goa legislative assembly.
The chief minister told the House that the state government has submitted letter on February 07, 2024 to Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of state (Independent charge), Minister of Law and Justice and to Union Home minister Amit Shah urging them to initiate the process to identify and determine the assembly constituencies that will be reserved for ST community in the state of Goa as per the census 2011 by constituting Delimitation commission.
Sawant said that he would be leading a delegation to Delhi to meet both the ministers on February 16. He appealed the MLAs and also representatives of ST community to join him as a part of delegation.
The chief minister said that the states like Jammu and Kashmir or Assam or other states have been given reservation as per 2001 census but Goa had not received the tribal rights in that year, due to which there is delay.
He said that the reservation may be based on 2011 or 2026 census but there will be reservation for ST community in the 2027 Goa assembly election.
