Andhra: Jagan Reddy Government Pushes For Including 'Dalit Christians' In Scheduled Castes List

The Andhra Pradesh government has passed a resolution in the state legislative assembly to include the Boya or Valmiki community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, after Telangana did it over a month prior.

The Andhra Assembly also passed a resolution urging the Union government to include Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Castes (SC) list.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his view that the mere act of converting to another religion does not automatically improve the social and economic status of people.

After the resolution to include Valmikis in the ST category was passed, Reddy reassured other tribal groups in the state that the existing quotas won't be affected by this move.

STs enjoy 6 per cent reservation in Andhra.

The Chief Minister said that the resolution came from a promise he had made to the Valmiki community during his padayatra before coming to power in May 2019.

The Telangana Assembly had passed a resolution urging the Centre to add Valmiki Boyas to the ST list on 10 February.

The recommendation, made by a commission of enquiry for STs and accepted by the state government in 2016, included other caste groups such as Pedda Boyas, Khaiti Lambadas, Kiratakas, Nishadis, and more.