IMPHAL, August 4: The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur has strongly appealed to the State government to take timely and necessary steps for the incursion of the Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe list on India.
Speaking at a press conference at the Manipur Press Club today, general secretary of the STDCM Laishram Lokendra Singh made a fervent appeal to the State government to give more emphasis to the demand.
He said the State Chief Minister and the council of ministers should consider the demand with utmost importance and discuss it thoroughly.
It is, he said, a time bound demand and the committee has been considering all options.
Lokendra said the committee has found a letter dated June 2, 2015 sent by the joint secretary, Government of India, Ashok Pai to the State government on the subject `Streamlining of Procedure for Scheduling of communities as STs.`
In the letter, the joint secretary had said that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had constituted a new system `Task force on scheduling of tribes and matters related` in February 2014 under the chairman of Dr Hrisikesh Panda, the then secretary Ministry of tribal Affairs, GOI, he informed media persons.
He continued under the new system, the Task Force had consultations with the representatives of State government/ UTs, Tribal Research Institute of the States and Central Ministries/ Departments and the National Commission for Schedule tribes.
Lokendra said it was also mentioned that the present modalities of the new task force and the concerns therein includes only those proposals, which have been recommended and justified by the concern State government, and concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST), are to be considered for amendment of legislation.
It was also indicated in the letter that such proposals will be sent sequentially to the RGI and the National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes and any disagreement from any one agency will automatically stop processing of the proposal which is cumbersome and time consuming, he said.
The letter had also informed the State government that there is no space for collective wisdom and no role for Anthropological Survey of India, (AnSI) the premier anthropological agency.
The joint secretary had also informed the State in his letter that there will be a committee of Secretaries chaired by Secretary (MoTA) for the process of scheduling/de-scheduling of a community as ST, he said.
The committee will also comprise of secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; secretary, Ministry of Culture; secretary; Department of Social Justice and empowerment and secretary, Depart of Legal Affairs according to the letter, he said.
When a proposal is received from a state/UT government, it will be simultaneously circulated to NCST, RGI and AnSI, which will required to submit their opinion in writing within six months period.
The letter had also informed the State that in case a proposal was received from another source other than the government of the concern State/ UT, it will be sent back to the concern State/ UT and the concern TRI is also required to submit its report in writing within six months period and if the proposal has adequate supporting documents including ethnographic report it will be circulated to the RGI, NCST and AnSI apart from the concern State government and the TRI, he said.
The three agencies also have to give their opinions in writing within six months period, he said.
Even if one or more of the authorities have either not send their written comments or disagreed with any proposal, the committee of secretaries may hold a meeting and examine the case(s) within one month of the above dateline, he continued.
Laishram Lokendra Singh asserted that since the issue is of a very serious matter which affects the community of Meitei, which is the largest community in Manipur and considering the larger interest of the Meitei and the ST Demand Committee, Manipur, the State government should bring up the matter during a cabinet meeting and discuss it before a recommendation is submitted to the GOI.
He also added that the Committee has been demanding Meetei for the inclusion of ST for the past two years but the state government has been repressing the issue till date.
Further reiterating that the initiatives will bring harmony in the society based on ethnic social equality in Manipur and it would bring an end to the constitutional social division of indigenous people of the state as tribals and non tribals.
The press conference was also attended by president STDCM, prof Y Mohendra and vice president B Angousana Sharma.