Congress constitutes committee to explore ways to grant ST Status to six communities of Assam

GUWAHATI: The Congress party today constituted a committee to explore constitutional and legal ways of granting Scheduled Tribe ST status to six communities in Assam, namely Moran, Motok, Sonowal, Tai Ahom, Chutiya, Koch-Rajbangshi and the tea tribe communities.

The Congress General Secretary and Assam In-Charge Jitendra Singh in an order named Congress leader Debabrata Saikia as the chairman of the committee. The other members who will be accompanying Saikia are Durlav Chamua, Barnali Saikia Bora, Kartik Kurmi, Boajem Handique, Birinchi Neog, Pranab Baruah and Sahilendra Sonowal.

The order further mentioned that the Committee shall explore constitutional and legal ways to grant Land Patta's to tea tribe workers for their residential homes in the tea gardens, where they have been living for decades.

Sharing the party's effort Singh tweeted, "Congress has always stood for the rights & long-standing demands of tea tribes &other communities & shall continue to do so, for which we have set up a committee to press for residential rights & ST status. We are confident that the matter shall be expedited."

This comes a day after the party released it election manifesto for State Assembly Polls in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The granting of ST status is one of the key points mentioned in the manifesto.

The party has already assured "5 Guarantees" which include blocking the Citizenship (Amendment) Act; 5 lakh jobs in the Public sector and 25 lakh in the Private sector; increase of daily wages of tea workers to Rs 365; Rs 2,000 per month for every housewife; and 200 units of free electricity to the people of the State if the party comes to power.

Apart from this the key points of the Congress manifesto are: waiving of farmers' loans; initiating steps to grant ST (Scheduled Tribe) status to six communities; special welfare policy for the Tea industry; revive the two paper mills in the State; zero-tolerance policy towards corruption; minimizing political interferences in government departments; life-insurance coverage for all workers in the tea gardens; renaming of the Silchar Railway Station as 'Bhasha Swahid Station'; creation of headmasters' posts in all primary schools; increase of Assam's greenery by 15%; digital library in all Constituencies; creation of corpus fund for lawyers; kerosene and sugar distribution at minimal prices; financial assistance for namghars, mandirs, mosques and churches; pension for members of freedom fighters' families, martyrs of Assam Movement, language movement and anti-CAA movement; solution to issue of 'D' voters; creation of an exclusive Ministry to solve unemployment problem; setting up of cow shelters in all districts; solution to debts local pig farmers; setting up of a Bench of Gauhati High Court at Barak Valley; construction of an alternative State highway from Haflong to Guwahati; Constitutional provision of 244 (A) to be made applicable in Karbi Anglong; special efforts will be made to honour senior Xatradhikars.

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