Chieftainship to continue in Arunachal: CM

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today assured the Assembly to protect the indigenous system of traditional council (chieftainship) which is instrumental in promoting harmonious integration among the people.

Responding to a question raised by BJP member Wanglin Lowangdon, who himself is the chief of Borduria village in Tirap district, Khandu said the chieftainship system is prevailing in Tirap, Longding and Namsai districts.

The respective district administrations give due respect and importance to the chiefs and their assistance were sought whenever required, he said.

"The chiefs help the administration in maintaining law and order and assist the district administration in solving various problems related to land matter and other administrative matters," he said.

Khandu said the chieftainship system would continue to be an affective medium of communication and link between the administration and the villages.

"The state government has recently created the department of Indigenous Affairs to protect, promote and preserve indigenous cultures, tradition, custom and local languages, folktales and indigenous healing systems," the chief minister added.