Meghalaya body Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Ka Nongthymmai Pyllun demands changes to ST/SC list

A Reporter

SHILLONG: The Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Ka Nongthymmai Pyllun, Shillong, on Thursday demanded that the State Government amends the list of Scheduled Tribes/Castes in the Presidential Order 1950 by removing some of the STs on the list which are not indigenous to the State of Meghalaya.

In this connection, a delegation of the Synjuk submitted a memorandum to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma at his official residence and later discussed their demands with him.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, president of the Synjuk Bantylli Nari said, “There is an immediate need for the list to be revised and amended because the Presidential Order (Schedule Tribe) 1950 in which all the list of the Schedule Tribes are recognized by the State of Assam and the same has been copied in ditto when Meghalaya attained its Statehood. Hence this list has not been revisited by the State Government for the last 46 years.”

He also said that other northeastern States, when they got their Statehood, apprised the Central Government for the amendment of the said Presidential Order, but in Meghalaya, this has not been done.

Pointing out that there are around 17 (ST) tribes on the list including the Kuki tribe which has 37 sub-tribes, he said, “The list of schedule tribe in the Presidential Order 1950 adopted by Meghalaya is confusing as there are some tribes who are not permanent residents of the State but migrated from other States.”

He said the presence of some of these tribes on the list has taken away many of the benefits of the genuine permanent schedule tribes of Meghalaya in the field of employment, land transfer system and trade, hence those tribes not indigenous to Meghalaya should be removed from the list.

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