Nahan (HP), Aug 5 (PTI) Celebrations erupted in the Trans-Giri area of Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Saturday, a day after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to a Bill that accords Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Hattee community.

Members of the Hattee community sang songs and danced to folk music to celebrate their long-awaited SC status.

Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Woman Killed Over Property Dispute in Devanahalli; Son, Daughter-in-Law Arrested.

Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, on December 16 last year and Rajya Sabha passed it on July 26 this year.

The President gave her assent to the Bill on Friday, according to a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Also Read | National Handloom Day 2023: PM Narendra Modi To Participate in National Handloom Day Celebration at Pragati Maidan on August 7.

About 3 lakh people of 154 panchayats will benefit from the ST status.

President of Kendriya Hattee Samiti, the apex body of the community, Ami Chand Kamal said the Hattees had been demanding ST status since 1967 but it was ignored by successive governments.

It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who recognised the plight of the people of the Trans-Giri area and assured them of Scheduled Tribe status, he said.

Kendriya Hattee Samiti general secretary Kundan Singh Shastri thanked PM Modi for keeping his word.

With Murmu giving her assent to the Bill, members of the Hattee community will now be entitled to all benefits provided to Scheduled Tribes, especially reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)