SHILLONG, JUNE 4: Meghalaya governor V Shanmuganathan on Saturday assured the North East Students’ Organization (NESO) take up issues concerning with the north eastern region with union government.
The assurance was given to a delegation of NESO which met him at the Raj Bhavan and handed over a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the NESO leaders, similar memorandum will also be submitted through the Governors of all the NE states to seek immediate intervention of the centre into pending issues that are affecting the NE region as a whole.
“Apart from ensuring that the memorandum reaches the PM, he (governor) has assured us that he would also take up these issues at his level with the centre,” NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa told reporters after the meeting.
Implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the entire NE region is one among the various issues highlighted in the memorandum besides repealing of draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958.
“The issue of influx is one which concerns us as a region and it is incumbent upon the centre to protect the minority communities,” Jyrwa said
While seeking special constitutional status for the NE region, he said, “It is also time that the customary practices of different communities in the region be given recognition and a place in the Constitution.”
Emphasizing the importance of having an employment policy, he said that the organization is of the opinion that the central offices and institutions set up in the region should give 100 per cent job preferences to the locals.
Apart from this, the NESO has also demanded that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) should be conducted in the entire region with 1951 being the last updated year and 1971 be the base year.
“The updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is currently under operation in Assam should also be conducted in the whole north eastern region with 1951 being the last updated year and 1971 be the base year,” Jyrwa said.
Moreover, the organization has also asked the NDA led centre government to come out clear with the objective of the much-projected ‘Act East Policy’.
When asked, Jyrwa said, “The centre should clarify the purpose of its Act East Policy because we don’t want that the NE region to be made only a gateway to other neigbouring countries.”
Meanwhile, the NESO chairman informed that it would soon lead a delegation to meet the Prime Minister at the national capital.-By Our Reporter
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