Maharashtra panel to study ST benefits after Christian conversion allegations

The State government has formed a 27-member committee of legislators from Scheduled Tribes to examine the legal framework for benefits available to ST individuals after religious conversion. The move follows allegations raised in the Assembly regarding Christian missionaries in Nandurbar district’s Navapur taluka.

The decision originates from an attention notice (No. 1773) moved by Anupbhaiyya Agrawal and other members during the 2025 monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The notice stated that Christian religious leaders, missionaries, and their institutions in Navapur taluka were using inducements to compel tribals and non-tribals to convert.

During the debate on the notice, members demanded that concessions available to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes be withdrawn after conversion. The Revenue Minister and the Tribal Development Minister assured the House that a committee of ST legislators would deliberate on the matter and formulate a policy.

The 2011 Census data for Maharashtra shows that the ST population increased from 85.77 lakh in 2001 to over 1.05 crore. Among STs, 97.2% identified as Hindu. The Census recorded 1.13 lakh Muslims, over 20,000 Christians, nearly 21,000 Buddhists, and smaller numbers of Sikhs and Jains within the ST category.

Between 2001 and 2011, the Muslim ST population grew by 49.1%, Buddhist STs by 114.8%, and Jain STs by nearly six times. The Christian ST population in the state declined by 34.8% during the same decade.

The committee will be chaired by Mr. Uike. It includes the Minister of State for Tribal Development Mr. Indranil Naik; the Food and Drug Administration Minister, Mr. Narbhari Zirwal; MLAs representing ST constituencies; and the Commissioner of the Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI), Pune, as member secretary. The panel comprises 26 MLAs, including Mr. Amashya Padvi, Mr. Rajesh Padvi, and Dr. Vijaykumar Gavit.

The panel will study the laws of the Central government and other states concerning concessions available to ST individuals post-conversion. The state government has issued a Government Resolution through the Tribal Development Department to formalise the committee’s constitution. The panel will recommend a comprehensive policy for Maharashtra.