GoM report on granting ST status to 6 communities by Feb 15

The Group of Ministers (GoM) on granting ST status to six communities of Assam held its first meeting on Sunday and said it is aiming to submit its report by February 15 this year.

The six communities -- Moran, Muttock, Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, Sootea and Tea-Tribes -- have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status for many years and has carried out series of agitation.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is heading the GoM, said that the committee will hold a series of meetings with various stakeholders and tribal groups to get their feedback.

"In today's meeting, we decided to collect the population figures of the six communities from the Tribal Research Institute. We are moving ahead with an aim to submit the report by February 15," he added.

The GoM will meet Tribal Saangha on January 28, followed by Bodoland Territorial Council the next day, he added.

The remaining six development councils of the Rabha, Tiwa, Thengal-Kachari, Sonowal, Mising and Deuri will give their opinions on January 30, Sarma said.

"After that, in the next three days, we will meet with the representatives of the six communities seeking ST status. We will also take views of the legal experts on this matter," he added.

Apart from Sarma, the other members of the GoM are -- Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Minister Chandan Brahma, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Naba Kumar Doley, Tea Tribes Welfare Minister Pallab Lochan Das and Power Minister Topon Kumar Gogoi.