GUWAHATI: The Assam Government has started discussing the contentious issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six ethnic groups of the state.
The first round of talks with the representatives of various ethnic organisations over the issue of granting tribal status was held on Tuesday at the Administrative Staff College in Guwahati.
Several tribal organizations of Assam were opposed to the demand of granting of Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to six ethinc groups of Assam - Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia, Tea Tribes, and Koch Rajbongshi.
To iron out the differences, Assam’s Tribal Affairs Minister Ranoj Pegu and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Pijush Hazarika had the first round of meeting with the representatives of tribal organizations and explore the possibilities to find out ways to resolve the long-standing matter.
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Both the cabinet ministers stated that the meeting was just the beginning of talks, and it will require several sittings to come to a satisfactory resolution on the matter.
Taking to Twitter, Pijush Hazarika put out, “GoA under the visionary leadership of HCM @himantabiswa sir has been working relentlessly to ensure peace, brotherhood & harmony amongst the various indigenous communities of Assam. Myself along with my cabinet colleague Shri @ranojpeguassam chaired a meeting today at Assam Administrative Staff College with the representatives of the Coordination Committee of Tribal Orgs. of Assam, All Assam Tai Ahom Students Union & other orgs to discuss about their long-standing demand for according to ST status to Tai Ahom community.”
GoA under the visionary leadership of HCM @himantabiswa sir has been working relentlessly to ensure peace, brotherhood & harmony amongst the various indigenous communities of Assam.
— Pijush Hazarika (@Pijush_hazarika) June 6, 2023
Myself along with my cabinet colleague Shri @ranojpeguassam chaired a meeting today at Assam… pic.twitter.com/WIUaaxqoWk
Meanwhile, during the talks, demands were raised by the Ahom tribal organizations to ensure the granting of ST status to the different tribes agitating over the matter for years without any problems caused to them.
