Send needed report to Centre : WMC to State Govt
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 06 2022:
While reaffirming its support to the movement spearheaded by Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) to add Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Constitution, the World Meetei Council (WMC) has appealed to Chief Minister N Biren Singh to send the ethnographic and socio-economic reports of the ethnic group to the Centre before the end of the year.
Addressing the media jointly organised by WMC, Kangleipak Kanba Lup (KKL) and Salai Kanba Lup (SKL) at Manipur Press Club today, WMC chairman Heikrujam Nabashyam stated that majority of the Meetei/Meitei populace supports the ongoing movement demanding ST tag for the community while some who consider themselves to be intellectuals oppose it.
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Saying that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been seeking recommendation from the State Government to consider the demand being raised by STDCM and other like minded organisations since May 29, 2013, Nabashyam asked why the successive State Governments are hesitating to send the reports.
He further stated that granting ST tag is the only way to save the Meetei/Meitei from being overwhelmed by outsiders in near future.
The WMC chairman claimed that 99 per cent of the Meetei/Meitei populace want the ethnic group to be added to the ST list.
Continuing that the Meetei/Meitei occupied 60 per cent of the total population of Manipur in the Census report of 1971 but the figure has been reduced to just 41 per cent currently possibly due to influx of illegal immigrants in large scale, Nabashyam maintained that Meetei/Meitei might even come out as a minority after the next delimitation exercise which will likely take place in 2025 .
The State Government must take the matter with utmost seriousness and urgency and send the reports sought by the Centre this year itself.
Maintaining that Meetei/Meitei fulfil all the criteria to be recognised as a ST, he said that WMC is ready to extend support in preparation of the reports for sending to the Centre.
Chairman of SKL Kokngam and secretary general of Kangleipak Kanba Lup Ngamkhei Ngakpa Luwang also attended the programme.