Only 1313 to be enumerated
Kohima, January 28 (MExN): The Government of Nagaland has reiterated its Cabinet decision to recognize Rongmei as a Naga tribe and that a Scheduled Tribe Certificate and Indigenous Tribe Certificate will be issued only to those members of the Rongmei tribe who, or whose, ancestors were enumerated in the 1963 electoral roll of the State and whose names are enumerated in the report of the Committee dated May 2012. This number presently stands at 1313.
Kohima, January 28 (MExN): The Government of Nagaland has reiterated its Cabinet decision to recognize Rongmei as a Naga tribe and that a Scheduled Tribe Certificate and Indigenous Tribe Certificate will be issued only to those members of the Rongmei tribe who, or whose, ancestors were enumerated in the 1963 electoral roll of the State and whose names are enumerated in the report of the Committee dated May 2012. This number presently stands at 1313.
In the wake of growing confusion over the issue of the recognition of Rongmei tribe in Nagaland, the Government took suo moto cognizance of the issue and informed through a press communiqué from its Home Department that the Cabinet “accepted the recommendation of the Committee and agreed to recognize Rongmei as one of the Naga tribes. However, in view of the fact that Rongmei tribe is also one of the indigenous tribes of neighbouring Manipur and Assam States, Scheduled Tribe Certificate and Indigenous Tribe Certificate will be issued only to those members of the Rongmei tribe, who or whose ancestors were enumerated in the 1963 electoral roll of the State and whose names are enumerated in the report of the Committee dated May 2012.”
The Cabinet, on July 23, 2012, had examined and considered the Cabinet Memo put up as an agenda as ‘Report on the issue of granting status of indigenous Naga tribe to the members of Rongmei community,’ prepared by a Committee.
The communiqué clarified that currently the number of Rongmei people enumerated for such a certificate stands at 1313, all whose names and details appear in the Committee Report. The report recommended that Rongmei people from the three districts of Kohima, Dimapur and Peren, as well as their direct descendants be given the status of Indigenous Rongmei Naga Inhabitants of the State of Nagaland “to enable them to avail all the benefits of reservation to pursue employment and education.” The Committee report “is available for the scrutiny of any members of the public as may so desire.”
The Government of Nagaland also stated that the recognition of Rongmei as a Naga tribe was taken up after the recommendation of the Zeliangrong Baudi (ZB) Zeliang People’s Organization (ZPO) and Naga Hoho. However, noted the Government, “ZPO chose to backtrack and took recourse to legal means against the recognition and a case was filed in the High Court vide WP ( C) 4519/2012 and the matter is now sub-judice and the Government is awaiting the final verdict of the Hon’ble High Court.”
