Shimla, Sept 15
Himachal Pradesh Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur hailed the historic decision of the Union cabinet to declare the Hatee Community be included under the ambit of Schedule Tribe. He said that schedule castes living in 154 gram panchayat and 389 villages would not be under the ambit of the decision.
Addressing a press conference here today Chief minister said that population of 1,59,716 would benifit from the decision however 91,446 people who belonged to Schedule caste Community would be excluded from the new provision.
The Chief Minister said that four Assembly constituencies including Shilai, Pachhad, Poanta Sahib and Renuka of Sirmaur district would benefit from the provisions. He said that 58 gram panchayats including 95 villages of Shilai having around 66775 population ( excluding 30456 SC population), 34 gram panchayats and one nagar panchayat of Pachhad including 141 village having 27261 (excluding 21594 sc population), 18 gram Panchayats and 31 villages of Poanta Sahib having 25323 population ( excluding 9406 SC population) and 44 gram panchayats having 122 villages with population of 40357 (excluding 29990 sc population) in Ranuka shall be covered in the provision.
He said that notification for providing Tribal status for upper caste Tribal Community would be considered soon by completing all modalities.
He said that people of Schedule caste and others Communities in Sirmaur district were not being covered under the new provision and draft to not include them in the Hatee Community was being sent by the State government. He said that people of SC community opposed the new provision as they are against withdrawal of the special provisions for protection under SC attrocity act. He said that people belonging to SC community not include in the Hatee Community provision of Schedule Tribe as they wanted to remain in the existing provision of SC Act.
He said that it was BJP government of Prem Kumar Dhumal and this government who pursuaded the issue of Hatee Community and brought it to logical ends.
Thakur responded to a query said that issue of Tribal status to Hati community was emotional issue which was considered on the priority by the BJP . He said that backward areas of Dodrakwar, Pandrabhish of Shimla district, Kupvi of Chopal, Bada Bengal of Kangra district, Ani and Karsog of Kullu and Mandi district would be brought under similar provision by the state government separately.
Thakur said that anthropological study of Hatee Community was conducted by BJP government twice which was accepted by the Registrar General of India.
He said that during UPA government in 2005 the proposal to include the Hatee Community in the Schedule Tribe was rejected. He said that it was after meeting by Chief minister, MP Suresh Kashyap and Baldev Tomar with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Union Minister Rajnath Singh that, today, the Union took the decision to approve draft of Hattee Community tribal status.
Thakur also complimented BJP President J P Nadda and Union Minister Anurag Thakur for achieving the break through which would help almost 1.60 lakh people of Sirmaur district.
Thakur said that BJP did not decide to grant tribal status to Hati community to allure voters in wake of Assembly Election but the the efforts were being made practically conducting official formalities, beginning since the former BJP governments.
He also evaded query about the decision of the first chief minister Dr YS Parmar to keep the Transgiri area of Himachal Pradesh vis a vis to Uttrakhand out of Schedule Tribe. He said that Congress party which is trying to rubish the effort made by his Government, must accept that small stature people in poltics ( Chotee Log) like him may succeed doing small things like such.
He said that during his tenure as Chief minister mega projects like Atal Tunnel, Dharmshala rope way, Drug park were sanctioned and dedicated to the people of state.
He said that 1967 Jonsar Babar Transgiri area of Uttrakhand were included in Schedule Tribe list but it took decades to achieve similar status for Hatee Community which was approved by the Union Çabinet yesterday.
He said that like other tribal areas of the state, the government may extend more funds under special budgetary provisions in the 154 Gram Panchayats and 389 villages of the Assembly constituency which covers around 1.59 lakh people in the Sirmour district who are still away from the development and are culturally disconnected from the mainstream.
He said that Register General of India had given the approval to Grant tribal status to Hatee Community in April 2022 . He said that government would keep all things in minds including impact of announcement in the areas.
It is worthwhile to mention that BJP which is considered upper caste poltical outfit has also accepted demand of a section of community by making a ‘Swaran Ayog’.
