ATSUM-T lifts ban on National projects
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, November 25 2013:
The Muan Tombing group of All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM-T) has suspended its agitations which was going on under the code name ROTO (Reckoning of the Other) that started from the midnight of November 11 .
As a part of the agitation, the student body was banning national projects in the hills and locking up government offices since November 19, 2013.The agitation was suspended after successful talks between the state government and the tribal student body, in which the government reportedly responded positively to the demands made by ATSUM (T) .
ATSUM's demands include improving the educational atmosphere in the hill districts by appointing or recruiting adequate teaching and non-teaching staff and taking care of necessary infrastructure for schools in the hill areas, setting up of B.ed centres in the hill districts, early solution to the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) crises, improvement of healthcare in the hill districts by making all PHSC, PHC, CHC and DHC functional and ensuring posting of required specialist doctors and nurses in the district hospitals of the hills, establishment of a separate state Commission for Scheduled Tribe (ST) in Manipur, adherence to ST reservation norms as per the latest roster, encouraging equitable development through special economic package for the hill areas of Manipur, ensuring effective governance of the hill areas , securing proper functioning of the Hill Area Committee (HAC) and requiring the Governor of Manipur to discharge his special responsibilities under 371-C of the Constitution on India, to bring the present Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Manipur at par with other ADCs in the North-Eastern states of India, re-organisation (Delimitation) of assembly seats on the basis of the latest population census and sharing 30/30 seats between the hills and the valley, and protection of tribal rights on land and natural resource.
During the talks today, the state government reportedly agreed to implement to the ATSUM-T's demands by promising to regularize the lecturers serving as contract teachers in the hills.
Regarding this, the government has directed all concerned ZEOs in hill districts to meet the Principal Secretary Dr.Suresh Babu along with necessary documents in 2-3 days time.
The government has 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 shortage of doctors and medical helps will be supplied in the hill districts within November, 2013 which will remove the backlog faced by the hospitals.
To ease the problems of tribals in Manipur, the government will allocate a separate State Commission for Scheduled Tribe (ST) within three months.
The government has also promised to fill up the backlog posts in every department of the state by conducting a special recruitment drive for ST which will help in reducing unemployment.
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 (BOSEM) has been withheld for consideration, said ATSUM-T .
Today's meeting was held at the Chief Minister's bungalow in the presence of Chief Minister O.Ibobi, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing, Minister for Sericulture and Industries Govindas Konthoujam, MLA Yamthong Haokip and other officials.
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