Meet concludes on Sixth Schedule amendment
SHILLONG: The sub-committee on amendment of Sixth Schedule has decided to recommend removal of the word ‘unrepresented tribe’.
The sub-committee constituted by the state government on Thursday examined various concerns expressed in connection with the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
The panel has decided to recommend to the Standing Committee of Parliament regarding the decision to delete unrepresented tribes from the amendment to the Sixth Schedule that seeks to nominate unrepresented tribes in the Autonomous District Councils.
Talking to media persons here after the second meeting of the Committee, the District Council Affairs Minister, James Sangma, who is also heading the committee, said that there was unanimity in the committee that the word “unrepresented tribe” should be excluded and removed in terms of nominated members of the district councils.
Informing that the committee was able to reach a consensus on all points, he added that all the points will now be formulated into a recommendation and observation and put before the standing committee.
He also informed that the panel has decided to recommend that there should be 31 members in the KHADC including 2 nominated members of which one will be a woman.
In the past, the draft amendment had proposed that there should be 40 seats in both KHADC and GHADC as against the current 30 seats.
Out of the 40 seats, four will be nominated members, including two women.
In the case of JHADC, the proposal was to increase the seats from the current 30 to 34, of which four should be nominated members, including two women. Another proposal was to nominate unrepresented tribes in the councils but there was opposition from several quarters.
No village council in Khasi-Jaintia Hills
Sangma also informed that the sub-committee will recommend to the standing committee for the removal of Village Councils in Khasi and Jaintia Hills as the traditional institutions are already functioning.
However, the Village Councils will continue to function in Garo Hills since it was passed in Garo Hills way back in 1958.
“We will take the approval of all the members before sending our recommendations to the standing committee,” he said.
Members of traditional group under the banner of Meghalaya Indigenous Tribal Constitutional Rights Movement (MITCRM), Urban Affairs Minister Hamletson Dohling, government officials and the Chief Executive Members of KHADC, JHADC and GHADC also took part in the meeting.
Samuel Jyrwa, the chairman of NESO, said there were a few contentious issues and they have also recommended for the inclusion of traditional institutions like Dorbar Elaka, Hima and others.
