RTI on committee for tribal status to 11 Gorkha communities

9:29 AM

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schedule tribe

RTI glare on tribal status committee

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Sept. 11: The GNLF today presented an RTI reply which stated that a committee formed by the Centre to examine the demand of granting tribal status to 11 hill communities that was formed in April had not yet sat for a single meeting.

The RTI further states that Ashok Pai, who was to head the committee, formed by the ministry of tribal affairs, has been transferred to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

The ministry of tribal affairs had on April 2 announced the formation of a committee headed by Pai, joint secretary in the tribal affairs department, to examine and recommend the granting of ST status to Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuwar, Thami, Yakka (Dewan) and Dhimal communities in "Sikkim and other Gorkha dominated states and areas".

The committee was to submit its report to the tribal affairs department within "three months".

The RTI reply to Neeraj Zimba Tamang, legal advisor to the GNLF, stated: "No meeting of the Pai committee has been held till now, since chairman, Shri Ashok Pai has been transferred to National Commission for Schedule Tribes. The Ministry is not aware of further developments in this regard."

The reply is dated August 29 and has been issued by Jossy Joseph, section officer and CPIO of ministry tribal affairs.

Zimba had on August 5 sought answers on the status of Pai Committee, the work it is currently doing, whether the panel had made any field investigations, visits, and whether the report has been submitted to tribal affairs department etc.

Copy of  RTI on Tribal status to 11 Gorkha Communities.

Copy of  RTI on Tribal status to 11 Gorkha Communities. II

The announcement of the formation of the panel just when the Bengal Assembly election was round the corner had come as a major boost for the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

When told about the RTI reply to GNLF, Morcha leader Binay Tamang, said over the phone from Delhi: "It is a fact that a committee has been formed. As far as we know, the committee is to get information from the principal secretaries of backward classes of various states and then sit for a meeting. Transfer of officials is an administrative matter, which the government has to look into. We are in Delhi and will find out the details."

Via Telegraph

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GNLF party allege GJM insincerity towards statehood demand, amidst GJM claim

10:30 PM

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TMC

DARJEELING 4 Aug 2016 The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) today rubbished recent claims made by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) party leaderships that the central government was keen to find a solution to the statehood demand.

On August 2, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri had issued a press statement after meeting union home minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and placing a memorandum with the statehood and other demands. In his statement the GJM general secretary had said, “The union home minister has assured to hold a meeting after August 15 that will decide on the formation of a committee, to verify our demand for a separate state”.

The GNLF’s central committee legal advisor Neeraj Tamang Zimba, today furnished a RTI (right to information) reply from Ashutosh Jain, the CS-II and CPIO under the ministry of home affairs (SR section) to squash the GJM claim.

The GNLF legal advisor said that in his RTI that was filed on May 2, 2016, he had made four queries.

RTI by Neeraj Zimba Tamang on ‪‎Gorkhaland‬

Zimba said questions one and two referred to which political party from the Darjeeling was the first to raise the statehood demand and since then how many parties had raised the issue with the central government. While the third and fourth queries were on the views of the Union government in this regard and available certified copies of the circulars and the file notes in which the issue of a separate state of Gorkhaland was discussed in the last two years. “You will be surprised by the reply from the CPIO that was made on May 24, 2016. In his reply to my first two queries, Jain has said that the CPIO does not maintain such information. On the other hand for my third and fourth queries, the CPIO has said that the central government does not have any proposal under consideration regarding creation of the state of Gorkhaland,” the GNLF leader said.

The GNLF legal advisor alleged that GJM was only resorting to gimmicks vis-à-vis going to Delhi and meeting central leaders from the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on different pretexts over the years. “GJM leaders only go to Delhi to take pictures with BJP central leaders. Nothing more than that ever happens,” said Zimba.

The BJP too came under fire from the GNLF leader, who the latter alleged was betraying the Hills people with false promises and specifically highlighted saffron party’s word-play on its 2014 election manifesto.

In its manifesto, the BJP has said that it would “sympathetically examine and appropriately consider” the long pending demands of the Gorkhas. The word Gorkhaland does not find mention anywhere. However, in the case of the Bodos and other tribals of Assam, the party says that “initiatives” will be taken for a permanent solution of their long pending issues.

Zimaba observed, “There is vast difference in the BJP’s outlook towards the people of Darjeeling Hills and those from other states which is reflected in their election manifesto. Words like sympathetically examine and appropriately consider which can mean several things are used for Darjeeling. Also our issue is shown as demands. Whereas, the BJP says initiative, in this case steps will be taken for a permanent solution of long pending issues of the Bodos”.

The GNLF perceived to be cozying up to the TMC is advocating for implementation of sixth schedule in the Hills and has chosen not to take a stand on the statehood issue. “We have neither compromised nor given up the Gorkhaland demand. It is just that our party does not have the mandate for a separate state and so we are pursuing the sixth schedule issue which we feel is the best solution,” said Zimba.

When asked to comment on the allegation, Giri said, “We are sincere with the statehood demand and are pursuing it over the years with the central government. We have nothing to say to those people whose sole purpose is to criticize us for no rhyme or reasons”.

Via EOI

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West Bengal Govt Response on RTI puts doubt on Kalimpong District Cabinet Approval

6:02 PM

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West Bengal

West Bengal Govt Response to RTI on Cabinet Approval for Kalimpong District Puts a Question Mark on If Such a Decision Was At All Taken

An RTI inquiry seeking clarification on "if the West Bengal government's Cabinet had approved the formation of Kalimpong district," has revealed that such an approval may actually still be pending.

Responding to the RTI inquiry made by a concerned citizen, the Commissioner for Home and Hill Affairs Department has declined to answer the question citing "Sub section 1 (i) of section 8 of the RTI Act 2005"

The Sub section 1 (i) of section 8 of the RTI Act 2005 reads:

"Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the Council of Ministers, Secretaries and other officers: Provided that the decisions of Council of Ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over: Provided further that those matters which come under the exemptions specified in this section shall not be disclosed."

This could imply that the decision for form more districts was either not taken or that the approval process for new districts was not completed.

This sits contrary to what Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee or Kalimpong MLA Dr. Harka B Chettri have been claiming. Dr. Harka has repeatedly stated that the Cabinet approval for Kalimpong district was already given.


Via TheDC

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RTI Response Shows GJM Has Made Representation for Gorkhaland With the Central Government

9:37 AM

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TMC

A Right to Information response from the Central Government which answers the question "if Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has made representation on behalf of Gorkhaland or not, and what is the view of the Central government in this regard," was released to the press yesterday by GJM spokesperson Binay Tamang.

Speaking to the Press Mr. Tamang said, "opposition parties, especially leaders from JAP Dr. Harka Chettri, Mr. Amar Lama, Mr. Nayan Pradhan have repeatedly lied to the people and made false allegation that GJM never raised the issue of Gorkhaland with the Central government... to make this issue clear GJM RTI cell had filed an RTI application seeking clarification on the issue and the Central Government has responded with proof that we have repeatedly raised the Gorkhaland issue."

Copy of RTI response from Govt of India, Home Ministry

He stated, "When the agreement for GTA was signed, it is clearly mentioned that we are not dropping the demand for Gorkhaland and we haven't done so... we have been in constant talks with the Central government and we are confident Gorkhaland will be formed... unlike TMC leader Mamata, the Hon'ble PM has never spoken against Gorkhaland statehood, the Central Gorkhaland appreciates the need for forming smaller states and Gorkhaland is an important issue for them for which our talks are ongoing."

The RTI was however silent on what the Central Government's views were in this regard.



Via TheDC

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Plea for tribal status to10 hill communities withdrawn by WB state Ministry of Tribal Affairs

7:43 AM

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tribal news

Darjeeling, June 11: A reply to an RTI query has revealed that the Union ministry for tribal affairs has withdrawn the proposal of granting Schedule Tribe status to 10 Darjeeling hill communities.

Khambu Rai Rights Movement  for Tribal status

In February-end, about a fortnight before the model code of conduct was to be imposed, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the cabinet to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of the 10 hill communities in the ST list.

Sources at Nabanna had said on February 28 that the chief minister had signed the file recommending the ST status for Rai, Yakkha, Gurung, Bhujel, Newar, Jogi, Sunwar-Mukhia, Mangar, Khas and Thami communities.

“Ideally, the proposal should have been vetted by the state cabinet. But the chief minister does not want to delay the process and it will be mentioned in the cabinet later,” an official had said.

Sources had said that the state government’s move to seek ST status was a political stunt ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as a survey has shown that most of the communities don’t fulfil the economic and social criteria needed for the tag.

Observers were of the opinion that Mamata had taken the decision to woo the hill voters as the issue of inclusion in the ST list is the most sought-after demand by the non-tribal communities in the hills, apart from the statehood issue.

The 10 hill communities’ cumulative population percentage is around 55 per cent.

The Morcha had been consistently raising the issue. On July 14, 2013, the Morcha-run GTA Sabha passed a resolution for granting of ST status to the 10 hill communities.

Babul Roy, senior research officer and Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the office of the registrar general of India, while replying to an RTI application filed by a resident of Darjeeling, has stated: “This office had received a proposal of the West Bengal State government through the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on communities namely Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuwar, Thami and Yakkha (Dewan). However, later on, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has withdrawn these proposals. At the moment, these are not pending in this office.”

The registrar-general’s recommendation is an important step towards the granting of tribal status.

The process first starts with the Cultural Research Institute (of a state) conducting a research. The research report is then sent to the state’s backward class welfare department.

Following the state government’s recommendation to the Union tribal affairs ministry, the proposal is then sent to the registrar-general’s office, which is under the home ministry.

This office then sends its opinion to the tribal affairs ministry following which the cabinet takes its decision.

Even though the RTI reply does not mention the reason behind the tribal affairs ministry withdrawing the proposals, the reply does state that the main criteria for determining the ST status are “social and economic backwardness along with tribal characteristics”.

Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha, said: “We will not give up on this demand.”

VIVEK CHHETRI
Source: Telegraph

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