SC status for pre-1947 Adivasis: Bijoya

TEZPUR, March 7: The Adivasi people living in Assam prior to independence will be accorded with the status of Scheduled Castes (SC) with a view to extend the facilities and benefits enjoyed by the other similarly placed communities belong to SC, said Bijoya Chakraborty, Union Minister of State for Water Resources. Addressing a mammoth gathering of the 19th State-level general confewrence of Adivasi Council at Rangapara in Sonitpur district, Chakraborty said the constitutional provision shall be made at an early date to include the Adivasis and added that the proposal to include the Adivasis as SC has already been forwarded to the Prime Minister who has shown keen interest and has already discussed the matter with the Central SC/ST Development department. Criticising the 45-year-rule of the Congress at the Centre 'which has not bothered for the welfare of the Adivasis and has been using them as vote banks keeping them confined within the perifary of tea gardens Chakraborty said on the BJP government had on the other hand has taken concrete and effective steps to improve the lot of the Adivasis. Earlier, the Union Minister donated an amount of Rs 5 lakh for the setting up of an Adivasi centre at Guwahati and stressed for an Adivasi guest house in the State capital.