Cabinet approves proposal to add Karnataka's Betta-Kuruba community to ST list
New Delhi, Sep 14: The government on Wednesday approved the inclusion of certain communities in the lists of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, fulfilling long-pending demands from these states.
The decision, taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was welcomed warmly by the states concerned.
Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said 12 communities from Chhattisgarh will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state. He said the demand was pending for 15 years.
In poll-bound Himachal Pradesh, the Hattee community of the Trans-Giri area in Sirmour district will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state, Munda said, adding that the decision would benefit 1.6 lakh people.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur thanked Modi and Munda for accepting the long-pending demand of the people of the hill state and pointed out that the Hattee community straddles Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The Hattees of Uttarakhand in the Jaunsar region have similar traditions and lifestyle and already enjoy the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
In Tamil Nadu, the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities have been included in the list of STs for the state. The demand of the two communities for inclusion in the list dates back to 1965, which was followed up by successive chief ministers of the southern state, including M G Ramachandran.
In Karnataka, the cabinet approved a proposal for the inclusion of the Betta-Kuruba community as a synonym of the Kadu Kuruba in the list of STs for the state.
The government will now introduce separate bills for revising the lists of STs of the five states.
After the Bills becomes Acts, the newly-included communities will be able to derive benefits under the existing government schemes for the STs.
The major schemes for the STs include post-matric scholarships, national overseas scholarships, national fellowships, top class education, concessional loans from the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation and hostels for the boys and girls of these communities.
"In addition, they will also be entitled to the benefits of reservation in services and admission to educational institutions in accordance with the government's policy," an official said.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Gond tribe, along with its five sub-castes, was already approved for inclusion in the ST list for the state.
The changes were approved for four districts in Uttar Pradesh -- Kushinagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Chandauli and Sant Kabir Nagar.
However, the Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of Sant Ravidas Nagar district to Bhadohi in 2015. The name of the district will be changed to Bhadohi in the Bill pending in Parliament.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai thanked the prime minister for accepting the demands of their respective states.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also thanked the prime minister for the inclusion of 12 communities in the list of STs and recalled that he had written to Modi in this regard last year.
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the @TribalAffairsIn for inclusion of "Betta-Kuruba" community as a synonym of "Kadu Kuruba" in respect to the Karnataka state.
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) September 14, 2022
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
