ST Status Issue
Welfare package for Adivasis likely:
Shillong/Guwahati, Dec 15:: Assam Government is contemplating to introduce a welfare package, which may be on a par with those enjoyed by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, for the agitating Adivasis and other five groups who are demanding ST status, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs PR Kyndiah said here on Friday.
Speaking to reporters here, Kyndiah said he was aware of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's plan to introduce a welfare package for the tribes who are not scheduled tribes from sources in the Assam Government.
The package includes many welfare benefits and schemes.
There were demands from Koch Rajbongshis, Tai-Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, and tea garden communities (Adivasis) living in Assam to be included as scheduled tribes.
Kyndiah reiterated that he was open to the inclusion of more tribes in scheduled list and at the same time stressed that a time frame cannot be given to any group demanding ST status.
Kyndiah however pointed out that to categorise any tribe as ST, the distinctive culture, tribe's primitive nature and the aspect of civilization have to be considered.
"I have written to Gogoi government in September last to justify and give more inputs on whether the six groups can be included in the ST list," Shillong Times quoted Kyndiah as saying.
He said there are a lot of procedures to be followed before declaring a community as ST.
He further informed that a meeting will be held in Delhi on December 17, convened by the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to be attended by the officials of Assam government. The meeting will be chaired by Kyndiah.
Meanwhile, consensus on the issue of taking part in the December 18 talks with Kyndiah at New Delhi on ST status to the six communities of Asom continues to elude various organizations of the communities.
To take a decision in this regard, the Janagosthiya Aikya Mancha, Assam (JAMA) is going to meet at Sivasagar on Sunday.
Talking to The Sentinel on Saturday, AKRSU(B) president Biswajit Rai said: “We aren’t going to take part in the tripartite talks. On his January 22 last meeting with organizations of the six communities, Kyndiah had assured the communities of ST status, but he told Parliament later that the Registrar General of India (RGI) was against according ST status to the six communities. Let Kyndiah get RGI nod first and call the tripartite talks later.”
The Anil Rai faction of the AKRSU, on the other hand, said that it would take part in the tripartite talks.
The All Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA) leaders said they will not boycott the panchayat polls. “We will only boycott the Congress party in the polls. We will field our own candidates in the panchayat polls,” they added. The ATTSA leaders will meet at Sivasagar tomorrow to take a decision on taking part in the December 18 tripartite meeting.
All Assam Mottock Sanmilan, All Assam Mottock Yuba-Chatra Sanmilan and the Mottock Jatiya Mahila Parishad termed PR Kyndiah’s invitation to them for a tripartite talks on the issue of ST status to the six communities of Asom a political ploy to bail the Congress out from the opposition it has been facing from the aggrieved communities ahead of the panchayat polls.
They said Kyndiah has violated the poll code of conduct by inviting the six communities for the tripartite talks through district administrations.
According to sources, the Government will take leaders of various organizations of the six communities on its own cost to New Delhi.
Source: The Sentinel & Shillong Times
Shillong/Guwahati, Dec 15:: Assam Government is contemplating to introduce a welfare package, which may be on a par with those enjoyed by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, for the agitating Adivasis and other five groups who are demanding ST status, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs PR Kyndiah said here on Friday.
Speaking to reporters here, Kyndiah said he was aware of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's plan to introduce a welfare package for the tribes who are not scheduled tribes from sources in the Assam Government.
The package includes many welfare benefits and schemes.
There were demands from Koch Rajbongshis, Tai-Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, and tea garden communities (Adivasis) living in Assam to be included as scheduled tribes.
Kyndiah reiterated that he was open to the inclusion of more tribes in scheduled list and at the same time stressed that a time frame cannot be given to any group demanding ST status.
Kyndiah however pointed out that to categorise any tribe as ST, the distinctive culture, tribe's primitive nature and the aspect of civilization have to be considered.
"I have written to Gogoi government in September last to justify and give more inputs on whether the six groups can be included in the ST list," Shillong Times quoted Kyndiah as saying.
He said there are a lot of procedures to be followed before declaring a community as ST.
He further informed that a meeting will be held in Delhi on December 17, convened by the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to be attended by the officials of Assam government. The meeting will be chaired by Kyndiah.
Meanwhile, consensus on the issue of taking part in the December 18 talks with Kyndiah at New Delhi on ST status to the six communities of Asom continues to elude various organizations of the communities.
To take a decision in this regard, the Janagosthiya Aikya Mancha, Assam (JAMA) is going to meet at Sivasagar on Sunday.
Talking to The Sentinel on Saturday, AKRSU(B) president Biswajit Rai said: “We aren’t going to take part in the tripartite talks. On his January 22 last meeting with organizations of the six communities, Kyndiah had assured the communities of ST status, but he told Parliament later that the Registrar General of India (RGI) was against according ST status to the six communities. Let Kyndiah get RGI nod first and call the tripartite talks later.”
The Anil Rai faction of the AKRSU, on the other hand, said that it would take part in the tripartite talks.
The All Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA) leaders said they will not boycott the panchayat polls. “We will only boycott the Congress party in the polls. We will field our own candidates in the panchayat polls,” they added. The ATTSA leaders will meet at Sivasagar tomorrow to take a decision on taking part in the December 18 tripartite meeting.
All Assam Mottock Sanmilan, All Assam Mottock Yuba-Chatra Sanmilan and the Mottock Jatiya Mahila Parishad termed PR Kyndiah’s invitation to them for a tripartite talks on the issue of ST status to the six communities of Asom a political ploy to bail the Congress out from the opposition it has been facing from the aggrieved communities ahead of the panchayat polls.
They said Kyndiah has violated the poll code of conduct by inviting the six communities for the tripartite talks through district administrations.
According to sources, the Government will take leaders of various organizations of the six communities on its own cost to New Delhi.
Source: The Sentinel & Shillong Times