Time To Revise State Scheduled Tribes (ST) list: Adelbert Nongrum

A REPORTER

SHILLONG: North Shillong constituency MLA Adelbert Nongrum has said that in the upcoming Assembly session there is a need for discussion on the Presidential Order, 1950, where around 53 tribes have been considered as Scheduled Tribes (ST) of Meghalaya.

This was stated by the MLA on Thursday after officially submitting a letter to Timothy D Shira -- the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly -- on his officially joining the United Progressive Front (UPF) -- an alliance comprising four PDF MLAs, one Independent MLA and one NCP MLA.

"This matter has to be discussed in the Assembly session because many of the indigenous tribes of the State are being deprived of various benefits," Nongrum told reporters after meeting the Deputy Speaker.

He further said that there is a need to amend the Presidential Order of 1950 which includes 53 tribes as STs of Meghalaya.

"The only indigenous tribes of Meghalaya are the Khasis, the Jaintias and the Garos; and the other Scheduled Tribes on the list are not indigenous to our State," he claimed.

Nongrum also pointed out, "The other north-eastern States don't consider us as STs because we are not on the Presidential Order list of Schedule Tribes of those States.

"We are still recognizing the Presidential Order, 1950, which was there before we attained Statehood from Assam. However, the other States have amended this ST list and it's high time we did the same."

Nongrum also said that some of these tribes in the ST list are enjoying the same benefits of the indigenous tribes of the State which has affected the indigenous people of the State.

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