Organisations petition PM over Sixth Schedule amendment

SHILLONG: The Ka Kynhun Nongtrei Mon Sngewbha (KKNMS) and Social Organisation of Meghalaya Against Land Alienation (SOMALA) have petitioned the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, regarding the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
They were of the view that the proposed Amendment will only weaken the Sixth Schedule, even as the actual intention and spirit of the Sixth Schedule has been weakened through various amendments and modification of the original Schedule.
“Land is the heart and soul of our tribal community, and therefore the acclaimed welfare and progress of tribals will be a sham if our land and rights over our land is taken away from us, which we strongly believe that it is also the case with all tribal communities,” the organisations stated.
The organisations felt that the insertion of paragraph 3(b) 2A(1) and sub-paragraph 8 in the Amendment Bill 2015 is unconstitutional and should therefore be withdrawn.