Guwahati: The long-pending proposal to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to 6 communities in Assam remains under the consideration of the Central Government. Today, the state government informs the Assam Legislative Assembly that no definite timeline can be provided for completing the process.
Responding to a question raised by MLA Chakradhar Gogoi, Tribal Affairs Minister Ranoj Pegu said the power to grant Scheduled Tribe status rests exclusively with the Central Government and Parliament. As a result, the Assam government is not in a position to specify when the proposal will be finalised.
Pegu informed the House that the Centre had sought a detailed report and recommendations from the state government to ensure that the proposed inclusion of the six communities in the Scheduled Tribe list would not adversely affect the constitutional safeguards, reservation benefits or other rights currently enjoyed by the existing Scheduled Tribes in Assam.
To examine the matter, the Assam government constituted a Group of Ministers , whose report was approved during the Winter Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly in November 2025, the minister said.
He added that the process of forwarding the GoM's report and recommendations to the Central Government is currently underway.
Pegu further clarified that the state government has completed its part of the exercise and that the final decision on granting Scheduled Tribe status rests with the Centre after the completion of the prescribed constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
While acknowledging that no deadline has been fixed, the minister expressed optimism that the long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the six communities would eventually be fulfilled.