Over a century-old provision of Chotanagpur Tenancy Act- restriction of jurisdiction within the police station for sale and purchase of lands — once again featured top among the agendas in the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) meeting on Saturday.
The suggestion tabled in the meeting is said to be holding the key for further growth of the community by allowing inter-community land transfer.
The council formed a sub-committee headed by Food & Civil Supplies Minister lobin Hembrom to assess the implications of doing away with the portion of the Act and report back to the council within 10 days.
“I don't see any wrong in allowing an educated Adivasi to buy land anywhere in the State. The changes suggested by the council are in the interest of the tribal community,” said Mandar MlA, Bandhu Tirkey.
The provision was originally conceived to protect Adivasis who were restricted in terms of geography and movement thus limited to few police stations but in later days the provision turned against the interests of Adivasi community that prospered with the economy especially since the State was carved out of Bihar and migrated within the State.
Significantly, the council, which held its first meeting in 2014, also decided to look into other suggestions that included allowing a tribal to pledge his land to obtain bank loans and recruitment of tribal on teaching positions right from primary to post-graduate level. The restriction of granting loans against Adivasi land has severely affected the community's ability to enjoy higher education, good housing and self-sustenance thus giving rise to the urge of reviewing the provision in the interest of the community.
"Chairman of State-level Bankers' Committee (SlBC) has been included in the committee to look into the matter of awarding loans against an Adivasi piece of land," maintained Tirkey.
The council also took up the matter of displacement of tribal dominant villages due to construction of Kharkai dam and formed a committee under the chairmanship of Welfare Minister Champai Soren to assess the quantum of displacement due to the project. The council also stressed on estimating vacancies for teachers of tribal languages, creating posts and recruitment of teachers in accordance with the requirement.
Concerned at the decreasing enrollment of ST candidates in medical colleges, the TAC formed a committee under the leadership of Human Resource Development Minister Geetashree Oraon to look into the contentious issue of cutting down of seats in medical colleges.
Other significant directions of the TAC include proportionate provision in State's budget for tribal population and strengthening the Welfare department for proper spending of the budgetary allocation; creating posts and recruitment of teachers in schools besides, expediting appointment on sanctioned posts of teachers for tribal languages. Also, the council sought reports on applicability of Samta judgement in Jharkhand.