Five tribes of Arunachal to get ST status: minister

Union Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra S Deo has assured Arunachal Pradesh that five specific tribes of the state would be given the status of schedule tribe through an amendment of the Constitution.
The five tribes - Nocte, Wancho, Tangsa, Tutsa and Ollo - currently come under 'Any Naga Tribe' in the state.
The Union minister gave this assurance to the state Water Resources Development Minister Newlai Tingkhatra and Union Minister of state for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering when they met him at New Delhi yesterday, an official release said here today.
These tribes residing in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts were facing a lot of problems for non-recognition by the Centre as separate entity from 'Any Naga Tribe,' the Union minister was told.

Tingkhatra had requested the Deo to bring an amendment to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribe) Order, 1950 to delete the words 'any Naga Tribe' from state's ST list for the larger interest of the people, the release said.