Panel to study benefits for STs after conversion
Maharashtra has set up a 27-member committee to study whether Scheduled Tribe members who convert to another religion can retain reservation and other welfare benefits, and to draft a state policy on the issue.
- The Maharashtra government has created a 27-member committee to study eligibility for Scheduled Tribe benefits after religious conversion.
- The government resolution constituting the committee was issued on July 16 and does not specify a deadline for the draft policy.
- The committee followed allegations in the Monsoon session 2025 about missionary activity in Navapur taluka of Nandurbar district.
The Maharashtra government has formed a 27-member committee to examine whether Scheduled Tribe members can continue to receive benefits such as reservation after religious conversion. The committee is meant to study the legal framework and recommend a comprehensive state policy, so the issue now moves from political allegation to formal policy review.
What the committee will examine
The committee is headed by Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike. It includes other ministers and MLAs from Scheduled Tribe constituencies, and the Tribal Research and Training Institute commissioner in Pune has been appointed member secretary.
UPSC may ask how far constitutional and statutory protections for Scheduled Tribes extend after religious conversion, and how a state can frame a policy without diluting social justice safeguards or violating constitutional equality principles. The issue links affirmative action with the legal status of beneficiaries after conversion and with the limits of state discretion in welfare administration.
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