DIBRUGARH: The All Assam Sema Naga Council (AASNC) submitted a memorandum to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma requesting him to protect their culture and language.
Sema Nagas are residents of the Tirap Tribal belt under the Margherita sub-division in upper Assam Tinsukia district.
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The memorandum stated, “Our forefathers were brought to this part of the world by the British authorities in the interest and services of British India in successive waves since 1881. Our forefathers had responded to the call of duty and had moved out from NEFA, Naga hills to the present locations in different period of time; for colliery, brick work and oil exploration in 1881 and 1901, for land survey in NEFA region in 1925 and for the road survey, forest clearance and Stilwell Road construction in 1942 from Ledo to Pangsau Pass to Kunming in China.”
The memorandum added, “We have been living here since centuries but our existence has not been made evident to the larger knowledge of the people of Assam till today”.
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“For the purpose of holistic growth of the community in areas of Education, Agriculture, Social, Cultural and Language development, we pray that the government of Assam under the department of Welfare Plain Tribes & Backward Classes to earmark specific Budgetary provision in the yearly an estimate of Amount of Rupees 50,00,00,000/- (Fifty Crore) only should be allocated to the aboriginal Sema Naga Tribe for the welfare and upliftment of the people,” the memorandum stated.
The memorandum further added, “Strong Public demand for the immediate creation of the “Tirap Autonomous District Council. We would like to draw your kind personal attention about the long-standing grievances of the extremely backward and politically deprived indigenous aboriginal Tribal people the Sema, Singnho, Tangsa and Man Tai Speaking Communities in the Tirap Tribal belt, Transferred Area Margherita for the urgent solution of the demand in the interest of the peaceful co-existence, political, Social and economic justices to the tribes from your end at an early death. In fact, the said demand of the Tribal people of the area is absolutely constitutional and the basic of the charters of the Human Rights, Fundamental Rights, as well as the clause of the Assam Accord 1985”.
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“We demand 50% employment reservation for the indigenous community in the State Government, in the Institution and Public Sector Undertaking of Central Government like as Coal India Limited (CIL), Oil India Limited (OIL), Indian OIL Company Limited (IOCL), and in private sector also both State Govt. of Assam & Central Govt. of India should take step for recruitment of ST (Hills),” the memorandum stated.