Future of Meetei/Meitei bleak: WMC
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 05 2024: World Meetei Council (WMC) expressed concern that the future of Meetei would become bleak if the community is not included in the ST list for ensuring constitutional protection within 2025 prior to the delimitation exercise to be carried out in 2026.In a release, WMC secretary general Yambem Arun Meetei explained that process for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list takes time as there is the need on the part of state government to send two reports i.e.Ethnography and latest socio-economic report to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the latter will further send these reports to the Registrar General of India (RGI) for scrutiny.

After approval from by RGI, the reports will be again sent to National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which will return them to Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

After this long process, the Scheduled Tribe list in the Constitution can be amended through a parliament session with the approval from Union Cabinet.

He urged chief minister N Biren to send the two requisite reports with the recommendation within the last two months of 2024 and save Meetei community from getting extinct.

Arun further appealed to all concerned not to entangle the demand for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list with the present conflict in the state.

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