Andhra urges Centre to extend SC status to those converting to Christianity

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Friday passed two resolutions, one urging the Centre to include the Boya/Valmiki community in the list of the Scheduled Tribes, and second to extend Scheduled Caste status to members of the community who converted to Christianity.

Earlier, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy assured the Assembly that the inclusion of the Boya/Valmiki community in the list of the Scheduled Tribes would not affect the STs living in the agency areas in the state.

He sought to allay the fears that the inclusion of the Boya/Valmiki community people living in the Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur, and Chittoor districts into the ST list will reduce the quota of the STs of the agency areas in government jobs or educational institutions as zoning system is in force as per the six-point formula.

The inclusion may have only negligible impact on the Group 1 jobs which come under the non-zoning category. It becomes negligible as only 386 Group 1 jobs were notified in the last 10 years and the 6 per cent reservation only amounts to a meager 21 or 22 posts, he said, adding it only means negligible.

The one-man Commission, headed by Samuel Anand Kumar, studied the social and economic conditions of the Boyas in the four districts and the ST Commission, also agreed with this assessment, said the Chief Minister.

Government jobs in the zoning system and districts constitute 99 per of the total jobs and the STs of the agency areas would suffer no loss because of the possible inclusion, he asserted, asking them not to believe the false propaganda being carried out in a section of the media on this.

He said the resolution was introduced in the House requesting the Centre to include the Boya/Valmiki community in the list of the Scheduled Tribes as per the promise given to the community during his Padayatra.

On another resolution that sought approval of the House to request the Centre to extend Scheduled Caste status to members of the Scheduled Caste community who converted to Christianity, the Chief Minister said that the economic and social status of the people doesn’t change automatically just because they convert to another religion.