The Government on Monday assured Jharkhand Assembly that it will complete drafting of domicile policy and suggested at borrowing salient points from the recommendations of the earlier committee formed by the previous Government. However, the Government stopped short of declaring a time frame to define domicile.
Notably, the previous Government had formed a committee in the wake of growing pressure from all across the State, to define domicile and give it the form of legislation by working out a consensus on the draft prepared by the committee. The committee had held several rounds of meeting and the draft was in final stages before it was suspended due to model code of conduct that came into effect ahead of Assembly elections.
“The previous Government had formed a committee that held several rounds of meetings. We have collected salient points of all the meetings and points are under consideration. We have enough material for guidance and whatever process is required government will complete it very soon,” said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Saryu Roy in the House.
The issue of domicile was raised by MlA Yogeshwar Mahto. The MlA sought a time cap for preparing a final draft on domicile and said that the lack of clarity has affected interests of local people in teachers’ recruitment. Roy rejected the charges of the MlA and said that the local people are getting benefits of 50 per cent reservation.
An open discussion on the domicile policy was also suggested during the course of discussion but it was opposed by former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and other leaders until a draft is prepared.
The draft was almost ready during the reigns of previous Government with frameworks to classify people domiciled besides several other recommendations to uphold the interest of native Jharkhandis. “There is no significance of discussion until the draft is presented on the floor of the house,” maintained Soren.
Incidentally, the previous committee had laid out broad parameters for domicile which stated that those who have been residing in Jharkhand for the last 15 years or more, or are government employees, would be considered “Jharkhand Niwasis”. Moreover, the committee had said that the third and fourth grade jobs in various Government departments should go to only those local residents categorised as “moolvasis” or “sthaniya (original settlers)”. Further the Moolvasis were divided into two categories — the khatiyani (those with land records and other documents) and the non-khatiyani.
The committee had also advocated that in 112 blocks under scheduled category, only sthaniyas should have rights over third and fourth grade jobs in the Government sector.