Draft Bill soon to weed out fake STs, says All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union

A CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) has informed that the State Government has accepted to table the draft 'Offspring Bill' in the ensuing State Assembly session.

Speaking to the reporters, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said that the union had a final meeting on Saturday with the Minister SJETA Alo Libang on the recommendations provided by various CBOs, AITF and the union on the offspring issue.

He said that the Minister, who is also the chairman of the offspring issue panel, has agreed to send the recommendation for Cabinet approval, and accordingly give consent.

"We are hopeful that the issue will be solved irreversibly for the greater interest of the State because it concerns not the union alone but all the indigenous tribes of the State," Dai said.

Dai said that the prime recommendation during the meeting was to come up with a law that checks the illegal obtaining of ST certificate by a non-APST (Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe) man married to an APST girl.

He said there are many such cases where a non-APST child owns an ST certificate, thereby enjoying the rights of the indigenous, which will pose a threat in future. There are even many non-APST people working in the State civil secretariat having ST certificates, he further claimed.

"Because of the lack of rigid law, many Non-APST are enjoying the ST rights in the State. Therefore, the union's prime recommendation is to come up with a law that checks such cases," he said, adding that there are more conditions which will be in the public domain later.

He said that fraudulently-obtained ST certificates will also be cancelled as presently there is a law which allows the administrative officers to do so.

Dai also said the union is aware of and working on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary issue.

He said that Chief Minister Pema Khandu has a positive response to the matter and has also assured earlier to table the draft 'Offspring Bill' in the next State Assembly session.

AAPSU in December last year had held a meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss the matter.

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