Special Correspondent
Panaji
The Union Law and Justice Ministry on August 10 directed the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to fast-track the implementation of the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act
(2025).
The development has brought the political reservation for the STs in Goa one step closer to
reality.
Shanti Bhushan, the additional legislative counsel of the Legislative Department of the ministry, in a communication to the authority has written, “I am directed to refer to the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act 2025 (the said Act) and to state that the said Act has been brought into force with effect from 6 August, 2026 vide Notification S.O. 4356 (E) dated 6 August, 2026, published in the Official Gazette.”
“In this regard, attention is invited to sub-section (1) and (3) of Section 3 of the said Act, which provide that, as soon as may be after the commencement of the Act, the population as at the last census of the Scheduled Tribes in the state of Goa shall be ascertained or estimated by the Census Commissioner, and the population figures so ascertained or estimated shall be notified by the Census Commissioner in the Gazette of India, respectively,” it adds, pointing out, “In view of the above, you are therefore, requested to do further necessary action in accordance with the provision of the said Act.”
The associations representing the ST communities in the state have demanded that the political reservation should be implemented before the 2027 state Assembly elections.
