Maharashtra Government Approves Separate Commission For STs
The Tribal Development Department (TDD) will come up with a bill in the upcoming monsoon session for statutory provisions of the STC, said a senior official.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to set up the State Tribal Commission (STC) in the state on the lines of the central government’s National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The cabinet also approved the creation of posts, allocation of office space and provision for expenditure. The government clarified that the “Maharashtra State Scheduled Castes Commission” will continue to function independently.
The Tribal Development Department (TDD) will come up with a bill in the upcoming monsoon session for statutory provisions of the STC, said a senior official.
The decision to set up the STC was taken more than one and half years after a delegation of tribal legislators led by then Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal had met the President of India over the issues of tribal communities. There are four tribal MPs from Maharashtra in Lok Sabha and 25 legislators in Maharashtra Assembly.
The Maharashtra government had established the State Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Commission in 2005. Since the issues and problems of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are different, there was a need to set up independent commissions for both the communities, the senior official said.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that there are two separate commissions namely, SCs and STs at the centre as both the commissions have to deal with the separate issues. “Therefore, it is necessary to have two separate commissions in Maharashtra also,” said the official.
The commission will be headed by chairman and four non government members. In addition to this, 26 new posts will be created for the commission. The chairman will be required to have expertise in the field of tribal development.
The Cabinet has also approved Rs 4.20 crore for salaries, allowances of members, office rent, furniture, electricity, telephone, fuel and other related expenditure.
“The State Tribal Commission and Maharashtra State Schedule Castes Commission will function independently. The Cabinet also gave in-principle approval for according the Constitutional status to the two commissions. The government will take necessary actions for the same in the coming days,” the officials said.
