The Hindu : National : Assam to bear cost of Adivasi girl’s education

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Assam to bear cost of Adivasi girl’s education

Sushanta Talukdar

Guwahati: M. Veerappa Moily, senior Congress leader in charge of Assam, on Thursday announced here that the Assam government would bear the cost of education (up to higher education level) of the teenaged Adivasi girl, whose modesty was outraged during November 24 violence in the city.

The State government had earlier announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to her.

The senior Congress leader was here to take stock of the situation in the wake of November 24 violence in the city.

Curfew was relaxed for two hours in Rangapara town of Sonitpur district and overall situation in the State was peaceful with no report of any untoward incident on Thursday. Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das told The Hindu that processions were taken out from tea garden and Adivasi-dominated areas in different districts by several organisations but the processionists were not allowed to enter the nearby towns as a precautionary measure.

After meeting Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Congress office-bearers, Mr. Moily told reporters that the State government had decided to constitute an Adivasi development council which would be adequately funded for undertaking separate development schemes in the health, drinking water, roads, education sectors for the uplift of the Adivasi community.

On the issue of inclusion of the tea and ex-tea garden/Adivasi communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Assam, Mr. Moily said the matter was still open and the Centre was still considering the State government proposal. He clarified that the view of the Registrar-General of India, opposing inclusion of these communities in the ST list, was only an opinion and it was not the final stand of the Centre on the matter.

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