GUWAHATI: Just about two weeks after Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren sent a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, with concern expressed towards the marginalization of tea tribes despite their significant contribution to the economy of the country, the Jharkhand government cleared a proposal aimed at the formation of a committee to study the condition of tribals in Assam and other states.
It was in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren that a decision was taken to constitute a committee to examine the situation of tribals from Jharkhand who were displaced and rehabilitated in places like Assam and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the British rule.
Soren said that there are 15 to 20 lakh tribals who are still fighting for their rights in these regions. It was pointed out that while tribals are working in Assam's tea gardens, they have yet not been offered ST status and are excluded from the welfare schemes in place for them.
Then Chief Minister Hemant Soren told the media people that the state government is inviting all originals to return to Jharkhand. He added that a committee consisting of representatives from all parties will be constituted under the Minister for Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, Minority, and Backward Class Welfare.
The committee will observe various issues related to housing, employment, and rights in the affected regions. As a result of this observation, the state will take welfare measures.
A statement issued by the Jharkhand government said that tea tribes of Jharkhand origin from Assam are Other Backward Class (OBC) and, therefore, excluded from the welfare programs designed for tribals.
In a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, dated September 25, Hemant Soren expressed deep concern about the present state of the tea tribes. He demanded that they be given the status of Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also BJP's election co-incharge for Jharkhand, has put the JMM government on the dock by raising allegations of corruption, infiltration, and slippery situations in law and order.
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