SHILLONG, NOV 2: The Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council (KHADC) today slammed the NDA-led Centre government for its alleged failure to adopt the principle of “Free, Prior Informed consent (FPIC) before implementing of Aadhaar in the sixth schedule area.
“It is a matter of concern that the Centre has implemented Aadhaar without adopting the FPIC and this is seen as an attempt to bulldoze on the rights of the tribal indigenous under the sixth schedule area,” KHADC chief PN Syiem told reporters here on Thursday.
Syiem, who reveals that he is also yet to get himself enrol under Aadhaar, said that the hurried manner in which the Aadhaar is being implemented goes against the interest of the indigenous people as it is done without taking their consent.
“If other countries are adopting the FPIC, the why not the centre government too do the same in this regard,” he said.
FPIC allows Indigenous Peoples to have the right to self-determination and self-governance in national and local government decision making process over projects that concern their lives and resources.
Asked, Syiem said that the district council will write to the Centre on the matter after consultation with the various traditional institutions and other stakeholders.
“We will soon convene our executive committee meeting and accordingly chalk out programme for taking this matter to the people for a collective decision to write to the centre,” he said.
On the state government departments pushing the people for Aadhaar enrolment, the KHADC chief said that this reflects that the present government is not a government for the people.
“This government had also failed to take the people on board when it decided to submit its own views on the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule and the same with regards to Aadhaar enrolment,” he said.
Referring to the chief minister Mukul Sangma’s statement, Syiem said if the chief minister, who is the head of the state is yet to be enrolled under Aadhaar then why does the departments rushing people to link Aadhaar with their bank accounts.
He however reiterated that it is high time that the FPIC is adopted both at the centre and state level to ensure the rights and interests of the indigenous people are protected.
By Our Reporter
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