Rai Development Board has started its operation

11:05 PM

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West Bengal

Writes: Rajeev Ravidas

The West Bengal Rai Development Board has started its operation with  30 general body members owing allegiance to the Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskritik Sansthan, although the objection raised by the Khambu Rights Movement was yet to be addressed.
M.S. Rai, the chairman of the Rai board, said the first governing body meeting of the board had been held in Darjeeling on Saturday. "The board belongs to all Khambus living in Bengal. It will work for their development. Today, we distributed Rs 1 lakh each to 20 poor Rai families from the hills. This is the first instalment of Rs 2 lakh we intend to give to each of these families for constructing houses," he said in Darjeeling.
The KRM has expressed unhappiness at the board's functioning without taking it into confidence. "We were told by both the Darjeeling district magistrate and S.K. Thade (principal secretary, backward classes welfare department) that even though the notification constituting the general body had been issued on February 12, it would not be acted upon till the differences between us and KKRSS were resolved. This is totally unexpected. We will decide on our next course of action later," said A.K. Rai, the KRM president.
The KRM had staged a hunger strike from February 17 to 24, demanding that its supporters be made the board members.
The 31-member general body has just one supporter of the KRM.
Observers say that the notification could be potentially backdated to skirt around the PIL and upcoming elections code of conduct.

via TheDC

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Nine on hunger strike in hospital - Khambu Rights Movement

11:10 AM

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kkrss

Kalimpong, Feb. 21: Nine members of the Khambu Rights Movement, who were on an indefinite hunger strike at Tricone Park here, have been admitted to the Kalimpong subdivisional hospital in the past three days.

The hunger strike demanding that the organisation be allowed to form the Rai development board started on Wednesday with 14 participants. Since then, the number has gone up to 25, including the nine who have been hospitalised.

Manoj Rai, the KRM spokesman, said those admitted to the hospital were suffering from complications ranging from severe dehydration to low pulse rate. "All nine are refusing to eat and they have been given intravenous drops. We will continue our protest till our demand is fulfilled," he said.

A doctor at the hospital, H.S. Das, said: "The condition of all those admitted is stable."
The KRM was formed on January 16, 2013, and initially it functioned under the Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskriti Sansthan (KKRSS) to spearhead the demand for granting a Scheduled Tribe status to the Rais. The two organisations had differences over the board issue with the KRM alleging that the KKRSS was never in favour of a development board.

Khambu Rights Movement launched an indefinite hunger strike at Tricone Park to protest against interference

The KRM claims that it should be given the right to form the Rai development board that was announced by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on January 22 as it spearheaded the campaign to secure the board.

The KKRSS, which claimed to have backed the board demand, said it deserved to form the body as it was the primary association of the Rais and enjoys the support of more than 90 per cent of the community members.

Manoj Rai said a four-member team of the KRM headed by president A.K. Rai had reached Calcutta and was in the process of fixing up appointments with ministers and government officials to lay claim to the creation of the board.

"We are also seeking a meeting with the chief minister," he added.

Via Telegraph

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Khambu Rights Movement - Indefinite hunger strike against 'delay' over Rai board

10:08 AM

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kkrss

Kalimpong, Feb. 16: Fourteen members of the Khambu Rights Movement launched an indefinite hunger strike at Tricone Park here today to protest against interference by some Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskriti Sansthan members that has allegedly delayed the creation of a Rai board.

The Khambu Rights Movement (KRM) was formed on January 16, 2013, and it operated under the Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskriti Sansthan (KKRSS) to demand a Scheduled Tribe status for the Rais. But the two groups started falling apart, particularly after the KRM went whole hog on the development board issue.

Rais and Khambus are synonyms for a single community.

"A board for the Khambus had been announced (by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on January 22) in Darjeeling. When we went to Calcutta earlier this month to complete certain formalities related to the formation of the board, some opportunists associated with KKRSS in Darjeeling also went there and claimed that they would form the board," said KRM spokeman Manoj Rai.

Khambu Rights Movement which was earlier demanding for Tribal Status

"This has resulted in delay in the formation of the (Rai) board. The delay is not affecting those who are well off but the ordinary Khambus, who are a deprived lot," he said.

All 14 KRM members participating in the hunger strike today are from Kalimpong subdivision. Sources said more members from other parts of the hills were expected to join them soon.

Binesh Rai, the KRM coordinator, alleged that the KKRSS was never in favour of a Rai development board but at a time the state government was on the verge of setting it up, some KKRSS members were trying to lay claim to it.

"We were shocked to learn that people, who in the past were against the formation of a board, went to Calcutta and demanded that they be allowed to form one. We are totally against these people. We don't want any of them in the board. We may agree to take few members of the KKRSS, who have not spoken against the board, in the general body but none in the executive body of the board," he said.

The KKRSS president, Tara Kumar Rai, however, claimed that they had already formed a board with a six-member executive body, including the chairman and vice-chairman, and 25 general body members. "The registration has also been completed. We had submitted our list (to the state government) about 10 days back. None of the office-bearers of the KKRSS are in the executive body and general body of the board. The chairman will be N.S. Rai," he said adding that he did not want to comment on KRM's allegation.

The KRM coordinator, Binesh Rai, rubbished the KKRSS claim. "I am cent per cent certain that the board has not been formed yet. They don't know what they are saying," he said.

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Rais differ in Development board opinion

6:58 PM

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West Bengal Tribal Development Board (WBTDB)

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Oct. 18: A youth association of the Rai community has opposed the All India Kirati Khambu Rai Association’s decision to not accept a development board.

The general secretary of the Khambu Rights Movement, Sandip Kulung, today said: “We condemn the decision of not accepting a development board for the community. We have raised the demand after consulting our members from the grassroots level and we are leading the movement.”

The All India Kirati Khambu Rai Association had recently said that it would not accept any board because it could create rifts among the Rais and the main demand of the community is a Scheduled Tribe status. The Rais are now enlisted in the OBC category.

Association president Sachin Rai Dumi had said: “We fear division within the Rai community as the board will not be able to build houses for 3 lakh Rai families in the BPL category. Some Rai members will receive benefits, while the others will not.” Other leaders had said it would dilute their main demand of a ST status. 

The total hill population is about 15 lakh and around 5 lakh Rais live in the hills. The community has three associations, Khambu Rights Movement, All India Kirati Khambu Rai Association and Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskriti Sansthan, which hasn’t yet made its stand clear. The recent development, however, seems to have created a rift in the community. 

Kulung said: “We do not believe that the board will dilute our Scheduled Tribe demand and we have been organising events in Delhi demanding ST status. There were no problems when the Lepchas, Tamangs, Sherpas, Bhutias and Mangars accepted the boards. Why will there be disunity in the hills only because the Rai community will accept a board?

Recently, Mamata Banerjee had declared a board for the Mangars and said she would look into the demands of the Rai and Limbu communities. 

Source Telegraph

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KKRSS met tribal minister Jual Oram at Delhi

10:22 AM

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tribal news

Kirati Khambu Rai Sanskritik Sansthan Delhi NCR unit lead by the newly elected convener of Delhi NCR unit Sachin Bantawa Rai met the Tribal minister Jual Oram today in his office. The team, who were there thanked the tribal minister for helping the Khambu community along with the 10 other communities of  Darjeeling in their demand for the tribal status. KKRSS Delhi NCR Unit was formed on 8th June 2015 in the meeting attended by Central Committee General Secretary Binita Khambu Rai, Central Committee members Prof Jog Chamling Rai and Shankamani Rai in Hauz Khas New Delhi.

KKRSS met tribal minister Jual Oram at Delhi

Bantawa said they had a positive talk with the tribal minister. He also stated as per the discussion on 8th June with General secretary Binita Khambu Rai , the main reason behind the formation of KKRSS DELHI NCR unit was to make the demand for schedule tribe status stronger . There are many Khambus in Delhi and North India and we can bring them together to spread awareness about our culture, rituals and languages.

The other main reason behind the formation of KKRSS Delhi unit is Delhi being the heart and soul of India many Khambu students go to Delhi for further studies, many youths decide to try their luck with employment in Delhi. When they come for the first time they face many difficulties hence this KKRSS Delhi NCR unit will be helping any people from our community coming in from Darjeeling, Sikkim or any part of India. Also many people come in for their treatment in Delhi and at such point our unit will be helping them in every possible way .This unit is not just for the Khambus but for any community coming from the hills and who require help.
By Prashant Acharya

Source : http://www.khabartaja24.com/

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