'Centre, Sikkim, should grant ST status to indigenous communities'
Gangtok, May 5: Calling upon the Central and Sikkim governments to consider granting the ST status to all the indigenous communities of the state in alignment with a constitutional provision, a resolution has affirmed that it would ensure lasting peace and prosperity.
"We recommend to the government of Sikkim and the government of India, that the Scheduled Tribe status be considered in alignment with the provisions of Article 371 (F) of the Constitution of India, for all the communities of Sikkim. This will ensure lasting peace and prosperity," said the Gangtok Resolution, adopted after a two-day Sikkim Summit for Tribal Status 2018 here on Friday.
Article 371 (F) of the Indian constitution deals with special provisions with respect to the state of Sikkim.
Out of the 20 indigenous communities in Sikkim, 11 Sikkimese Nepali communities are yet to get ST status.
The summit brought together leading scholars and policy makers to present their views on the decades-old demand.
The resolution, read out by Sikkim's lone Lok Sabha member P.D. Rai, reminded the authorities that the state had overwhelmingly voted to join the Indian union at a historic referendum on April 14, 1975.
The Resolution said that all the "tribes of the Sikkim Himalaya live in similar social and economic condition and endure similar hardship and challenges posed by the geo-political situation and the mountainous topography of Sikkim."
It said all the communities were recognised as tribes of the Himalayas by the British, while the erstwhile Sikkimese king, The Chogyal, had placed all of them in the same pedestal, and "gave them protection by providing them reservation in the State Council and employment".
"After the merger of Sikkim with the Indian union in 1975, a section of the Sikkimese people were recognised as STs and SCs of Sikkim, as per the prevailing Constitution of India and the rest, specially, the Sikkimese Nepali community were left out from this affirmative action."
Stressing that the remaining communities had the right to be recognised as STs, the resolution sought justice and rectification of the wrong done to them.
The resolution was signed among others by eminent anthropologists T.B. Subba and Sarit.K. Chaudhuri, former Ministry of Tribal Affairs Secretary Hrushikesh Panda, former Union Minister Kishore Chandra Deo, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling's legal advisor K.T. Gyaltsen, constitutional law expert Shomona Khanna and Tibetologist-cum-Indo-China analyst Claude Arpi -- all of whom addressed the summit.
The event, inaugurated by Chamling on Friday, was organised by EIECOS - an association of the registered 11 indigenous ethnic communities of Sikkim - as also the Sikkim Commission for backward Classes and the state's Social Justice Empowerment and Welfare Department.
State governor Shriniwas Patil addressed the valedictory session.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
