Separate commission for ST by Feb
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, December 01 2013 :
Tribals in Manipur will have additional teeth to safeguard their rights in three months' time.
On November 25, the state government of Manipur has agreed to set up a separate state commission for the tribals in Manipur by February next year, thanks to All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) led by Muan Tombing and Vareiyo Shatsang.
It can be noted here that the state government had promised to regularize the lecturers serving as contract teachers in the hills as well.
Few days ago, the government had directed all concerned ZEOs in hill districts to meet the Principal Secretary Dr.Suresh Babu along with the documents.
The government had also assured that a tribal Manipur Civil Service (MCS) officer will be posted as Additional Director (Hills), Education.
The shortage of qualified ZEOs in the hill districts will be fulfilled by posting one in each hill district within a week.
The problem of shortage of doctors and medical helps will also be addressed in the hill districts in the next few days time which will remove the backlog faced by the hospitals.
Another assurance was that the government's order for deletion of Additional English in lieu of MIL for unrecognized tribes in the new scheme of study in Class IX from academic session 2014-2015 and in next year under Board of School Education, Manipur (BSEM) had been withheld for consideration.
It is worthwhile to mention here that ATSUM-T had demanded that the condition of educational atmosphere in the hill districts be improved by appointing or recruiting adequate teaching and non-teaching staff and care of necessary infrastructure for schools in the hill areas.
In this regard, ATSUM also demanded setting up of B.Ed centres in the hill districts.
The student body also demanded early solution to the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) crises.
Another demand of ATSUM was the improvement of healthcare in the hill districts by making all PHSC, PHC, CHC and DHC functional along with posting of required specialist doctors and nurses in the district hospitals of the hills.
Another prime demand of ATSUM has been establishment of a separate state Commission for Scheduled Tribe (ST) in Manipur.