STDCM has been demanding a constitutional safeguard to protect the culture, land and legislative rights, etc for the Meetei/Meitei, like other indigenous communities in the scheduled tribes list.
TFM Desk
Continuing its demand to the Government of Manipur to send its recommendations regarding the inclusion of Meetei/Meitei list of scheduled tribes of India, the Schedule Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur decried the state government for sitting on the matter without taking any initiative.
In a bid to reignite the movement for the cause as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided in the state to some extent, Sagolband Young Pioneers Organisation, under the aegis of STDCM organised a sit-in at the community hall of Sagolband Mabudhou Mantri Leikai, on Sunday.
Meira Paibis of the locality also joined the sit-in. The agitators raised several slogans during the sit-in.
STDCM has been demanding a constitutional safeguard to protect the culture, land and legislative rights, etc for the Meetei/Meitei, like other indigenous communities in the scheduled tribes list.
In a reply to a representation by the committee, the union government asked the state government to send its recommendations on the matter on May 29, 2013.
When Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state on December 27, 2020, the committee intimated the HM by submitting a representation. In July, 2021, it was further informed to the state government that without its recommendations, the matter couldn’t move forward, the STDCM said in a release.
Unfortunately, the Manipur government has not made any progress on the matter and the required recommendations have not been sent till date, it said.