Proposal to remove 'AKT' from ST list put on hold
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Imphal/Delhi, Nov 24
The inclusion or exclusion of communities in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list in Manipur "may be kept on hold" due to the "sensitive nature of the prevailing situation" in the State, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said in response to queries filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The queries requested the Ministry to give an update on the current status of the Manipur Government's formal proposal sent to the Ministry on February 8, 2023 to have the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category removed from the ST list, which needs Parliament's approval.
"Mere forwarding of representations to the State may be construed as acknowledgment of their claims and may spark untoward incidents to disturb peace and tranquility in the region," the Tribal Affairs Ministry said in its final response to queries and subsequent appeals filed under the RTI Act.
In 1956, Parliament removed the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category from Manipur's list and cleared the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act.
In 2002, or 46 years later, the then Manipur Congress Government's request to the Central Government to bring back 'Any Kuki Tribes' category in the ST list sailed through Parliament, and 'Any Kuki Tribes' re-entered the border State's ST list a year later.
The Manipur Government - in a follow-up letter to the Tribal Affairs Ministry on July 25, 2024 on the State's proposal to remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list sent on February 8, 2023 - said no community under 'Any Kuki Tribe' or 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' will be removed from the ST list as they are already covered in the rest of the list, where they will remain under the names of their distinct tribes.
The proposal is simply about removing the "redundant nomenclature Any Kuki Tribe", the State Government said. It alleged the insertion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' has enabled "illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries" to "enlist themselves" under this category.
Two appeals filed in April and May this year to the Ministry's response to RTI queries asked whether Constitutional action had been kept on hold by citing law and order even if all the modalities were fulfilled. NDTV has seen the documents.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry said that for inclusion or exclusion of communities in the ST list, the State Government concerned has to first give a proposal along with ethnographic details to the Ministry.
Thereafter, the proposal has to be concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) before being considered for amendment legislation, it said.
Manipur Government's Proposal
In Manipur's case, the State Government on February 8, 2023 wrote to the Tribal Affairs Ministry that the State Cabinet had over four years ago - on October 19, 2018 - approved the deletion of the nomenclature 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the state's ST list, documents show.
Thereafter, the State Cabinet at its meeting on January 2, 2023 decided to contact the Tribal Affairs Ministry to inform about its decision. The following month, on February 8, 2023, the Manipur Government sent the first letter to the Ministry seeking removal of 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list.
"I am directed to convey that the State Cabinet in its sitting held on October 19, 2018 had approved the deletion of the nomenclature 'Any Kuki Tribe' from the list of Scheduled Tribes for Manipur. The State Cabinet in its sitting held on January 2, 2023 has reiterated its decision taken on 19.10.2018 and approved to convey the decision to the Government of India," the letter said.
The Manipur Government also told the Ministry that the State Cabinet had "approved the correction" of the terms 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' to just Mizo in the ST list.
"... It is requested that necessary action may be taken for deletion of Any Kuki Tribe from the list of Scheduled Tribes for Manipur and also to correct the name of 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' to Mizo as approved by the State Cabinet," the State Government said in the letter.
Tribal Affairs Ministry's Response
The Ministry replied to the Manipur Government on March 27, 2023 with several questions on the State's proposal, and told the State Government to clarify on them.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry in the letter asked the State to explain in detail "as to how Any Kuki Tribes and Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes ST community people will be treated in future and what would happen to those who already have Any Kuki Tribes and Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes ST certificates if proposed changes are implemented..."
It told the State to send a list of communities covered and getting ST certificates under the 'Any Kuki Tribes' and 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes' categories. Apart from the clarifications on these questions, the Ministry told the State Government to send a complete proposal along with an ethnographic study report in support of the proposal.
"If any of them are proposed to be removed from the list of communities already notified under the general nomenclature of 'Any Kuki Tribe' or 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe', justification, along with an ethnographic report in support of the proposal may be sent. The names of those communities, which have been hitherto included in the general nomenclature of 'Any Kuki Tribe' and 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe', which are proposed to be retained in the ST list, may also be indicated with justification for their retention in the list," the Tribal Affairs Ministry said in the letter.
Less than two months later, on May 3, 2023, the Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began. NDTV
The inclusion or exclusion of communities in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list in Manipur "may be kept on hold" due to the "sensitive nature of the prevailing situation" in the State, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said in response to queries filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The queries requested the Ministry to give an update on the current status of the Manipur Government's formal proposal sent to the Ministry on February 8, 2023 to have the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category removed from the ST list, which needs Parliament's approval.
"Mere forwarding of representations to the State may be construed as acknowledgment of their claims and may spark untoward incidents to disturb peace and tranquility in the region," the Tribal Affairs Ministry said in its final response to queries and subsequent appeals filed under the RTI Act.
In 1956, Parliament removed the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category from Manipur's list and cleared the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act.
In 2002, or 46 years later, the then Manipur Congress Government's request to the Central Government to bring back 'Any Kuki Tribes' category in the ST list sailed through Parliament, and 'Any Kuki Tribes' re-entered the border State's ST list a year later.
The Manipur Government - in a follow-up letter to the Tribal Affairs Ministry on July 25, 2024 on the State's proposal to remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list sent on February 8, 2023 - said no community under 'Any Kuki Tribe' or 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' will be removed from the ST list as they are already covered in the rest of the list, where they will remain under the names of their distinct tribes.
The proposal is simply about removing the "redundant nomenclature Any Kuki Tribe", the State Government said. It alleged the insertion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' has enabled "illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries" to "enlist themselves" under this category.
Two appeals filed in April and May this year to the Ministry's response to RTI queries asked whether Constitutional action had been kept on hold by citing law and order even if all the modalities were fulfilled. NDTV has seen the documents.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry said that for inclusion or exclusion of communities in the ST list, the State Government concerned has to first give a proposal along with ethnographic details to the Ministry.
Thereafter, the proposal has to be concurred with by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) before being considered for amendment legislation, it said.
Manipur Government's Proposal
In Manipur's case, the State Government on February 8, 2023 wrote to the Tribal Affairs Ministry that the State Cabinet had over four years ago - on October 19, 2018 - approved the deletion of the nomenclature 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the state's ST list, documents show.
Thereafter, the State Cabinet at its meeting on January 2, 2023 decided to contact the Tribal Affairs Ministry to inform about its decision. The following month, on February 8, 2023, the Manipur Government sent the first letter to the Ministry seeking removal of 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list.
"I am directed to convey that the State Cabinet in its sitting held on October 19, 2018 had approved the deletion of the nomenclature 'Any Kuki Tribe' from the list of Scheduled Tribes for Manipur. The State Cabinet in its sitting held on January 2, 2023 has reiterated its decision taken on 19.10.2018 and approved to convey the decision to the Government of India," the letter said.
The Manipur Government also told the Ministry that the State Cabinet had "approved the correction" of the terms 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' to just Mizo in the ST list.
"... It is requested that necessary action may be taken for deletion of Any Kuki Tribe from the list of Scheduled Tribes for Manipur and also to correct the name of 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe' to Mizo as approved by the State Cabinet," the State Government said in the letter.
Tribal Affairs Ministry's Response
The Ministry replied to the Manipur Government on March 27, 2023 with several questions on the State's proposal, and told the State Government to clarify on them.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry in the letter asked the State to explain in detail "as to how Any Kuki Tribes and Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes ST community people will be treated in future and what would happen to those who already have Any Kuki Tribes and Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes ST certificates if proposed changes are implemented..."
It told the State to send a list of communities covered and getting ST certificates under the 'Any Kuki Tribes' and 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes' categories. Apart from the clarifications on these questions, the Ministry told the State Government to send a complete proposal along with an ethnographic study report in support of the proposal.
"If any of them are proposed to be removed from the list of communities already notified under the general nomenclature of 'Any Kuki Tribe' or 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe', justification, along with an ethnographic report in support of the proposal may be sent. The names of those communities, which have been hitherto included in the general nomenclature of 'Any Kuki Tribe' and 'Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe', which are proposed to be retained in the ST list, may also be indicated with justification for their retention in the list," the Tribal Affairs Ministry said in the letter.
Less than two months later, on May 3, 2023, the Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began. NDTV