Siliguri: The much-anticipated coordination meeting to address the demand for Tribal Status for the left-out communities of Sikkim and the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal concluded with a significant outcome at Siliguri on Sunday. The Sikkim Government, along with the leadership from West Bengal (Darjeeling Hills), has officially constituted a “Joint Action Committee” (JAC) to take forward the cause of Tribal Status for these communities.
The meeting, chaired by Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang, brought together prominent leaders, including Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, Rajya Sabha MP DT Lepcha, and other MLAs and ministers from Sikkim, as well as Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Kalchini MLA Bishal Lama, and Darjeeling MLA Niraj Zimba. Representatives of various left-out communities from both states were also present.
Chief Minister PS Tamang announced that the “Joint Action Committee” will consist of 10 members, with 5 representatives each from Sikkim and West Bengal. This committee will spearhead the efforts to secure Tribal Status for the left-out communities in both states.
Furthermore, the Joint Action Committee will be tasked with forming an expert team to work on an ethnographic survey, which is crucial for substantiating the demand for Tribal Status. The findings of this survey will be compiled into a report that will be presented to the Parliament, pushing the case for recognition of the communities as Scheduled Tribes.
Report By- Rohan Dahal
