Janajati Faith and Culture Protection Forum (JFCPF), Guwahati accused the Centre and Arunachal Pradesh Government of creating division among people of indigenous religion in the name of implementing minority scheme. “Instead of developing whole of Arunachal Pradesh, the Central Government in league with the State Government has devised a divisive plan in the name of Multi -Sectoral Development exclusively for centrally listed minorities living in the state, said JFCPF president BB Jamatia, in a statement issued in Itanagar on October 3.
JFCPF feared that this discriminatory scheme will damage the unity among the people and the mistrust created by the scheme will disintegrate the citizens of a strategically important state of India. The schemes and programmes for poverty alleviation, education, health and other welfare schemes like school buildings, girls and boys hostels, Anganwadi Centres, PHC, Sub- Health Centres etc. are included as part of it. “How the list of about 6000 beneficiaries has been selected for allocation of fund under the Indira Awaas Yojana and other individual schemes, when the Minister of states for Minority Affairs and Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh have stated the minority schemes are meant for common infrastructure development only,” Jamatia questioned.
Providing financial assistance under Indira Awaas Yojana is targeted to individual minority household. Existing schemes for infrastructure development such as school electrification, road connectivity (PMGSY) etc. shall be taken up in these districts in priority basis. In addition, the schemes included in the Prime Minister’s new 15-Point programme for welfare of minorities shall be implemented vigorously in these districts.
“Once Government started providing minority benefits to people of Arunachal Pradesh it can no way stop the Muslims taking benefits out of the schemes,” he said.
A large number of Muslims in Assam are taking the minority benefits though their Indian identity is yet to be established. Minority concentrated district must have a minority population exceeding 20 per cent but less than 25 per cent of the population of the district, he said. The mechanism for counting Christian population is available with Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh under the “Freedom of religions Act 1978”.
As per the provisions of the law, government is supposed to maintain a register of those who are accepting or it embracing other religious faiths. Instead of using this facility to count down Christian population, it is engaging OKD Institute for Social Change and Development, Guwahati, an outside agency, which is nothing but violation of “Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religions Act 1978” by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, he claimed.
These Minority packages provide dual benefits to Christians and Muslims. First they receive publicly funded coaching and other scholarship benefits as a member of minority community and then they receive the benefits of reservation in the services as scheduled tribe. This is a gruesome injustice to indigenous faith followers inflicted by Central and State government.
The Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing, Manipur (CDBF) observed 12-hour statewide Bandh on October 7 demanding re-survey of the Indo-Myanmar boundary so that a clear demarcation can be carried out for erection of fencing. India shares a 349 km long border with Myanmar. On the Manipur section of the border, the Pillar Numbers 32-48 falls under Churachandpur district, Pilllar Numbers 49-89 are in Chandel district and Pillar Numbers 90-130 in Ukhrul district. CDLBF has maintained that a total of 43 villages inhabited by about 2,969 households numbering about 18,000 people on the Manipur side will be affected by the Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing.
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