From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla on Wednesday assured an NPP delegation that her ministry and the NDA Government will protect the interests of both tribal and non-tribal minorities in Meghalaya especially in the troubled Garo Hill districts.
A delegation of the National People’s Party (NPP) led by its chief whip James Sangma and former Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly Conrad Sangma met the Union Minister here.
They apprised her about the overall law and order situation in the hill state especially in the Garo Hills region which has witnessed a spurt in violence and militancy.
The NPP leaders said that many small and medium businessmen and traders from both the tribal and non-tribal communities have been receiving extortion notes and some of them have even been kidnapped. This had immensely affected the economic environment in the region for which the whole State is suffering, they pointed out.
The delegation also apprised the Minister of various issues and problems being faced by minorities in the State, including Christians, Muslims, Scheduled Castes and other minorities.
“The Union Minister assured the ) delegation of full support from her Ministry and the NDA Government and stated that the North East will be given special focus by the Modi Government,” the NPP leaders told newspersons after the meeting.
Manirul Sarkar, who was also part of the NPP delegation, said the National Madarsa Modernization Programme announced by the NDA Government should be taken up in letter and spirit. He also sought clarifications on the implication of the Right to Education Act on institutions run by religious organizations, to which the Union Minister mentioned that these institutions did not come under the purview of the RTE.
The delegation stressed on the need to improve infrastructure in various educational institutions, and impart skill development to different minorities groups in order to uplift them in the long run.
They mentioned that many Christian-run institutions had been contributing to the overall education sector in the State and requested the Minister to support such organizations.
The Union Minister mentioned that one of the key objectives of her Ministry was to ensure better integration between the different communities and observed that this could be achieved through economic activities and interdependence.
She mentioned that more focus should be given to local skill development centres which would allow people to set up different economic activities and units which would improve the economic scenarios in the respective regions and ultimately lead to better integration of the nation.