The Central Government on Wednesday approved the inclusion of various communities in the lists of Scheduled Tribes (ST) of five states namely Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was welcomed warmly by the states concerned.

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said that 12 communities from Chhattisgarh will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state. He said the demand was pending for 15 years.

In poll-bound Himachal Pradesh, the Hattee community of the Trans-Giri area in Sirmour district will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state, Munda said, adding that the decision would benefit 1.6 lakh people.

In Tamil Nadu, the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities have been included in the list of STs for the state.

In Karnataka, the cabinet approved a proposal for the inclusion of the Betta-Kuruba community as a synonym of the Kadu Kuruba in the list of STs for the state.

The government will now introduce separate bills for revising the lists of STs of the five states. After the Bills become Acts, the newly-included communities will be able to derive benefits under the existing government schemes for the STs.