Shillong, Aug 29: The State government has constituted a sub-committee to look into various concerns expressed in connection with the proposed amendment of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma with a delegation of various organisations and traditional heads under the banner of the Meghalaya Indigenous Tribal Constitutional Rights Movements (MITCRM) on Thursday.

The sub-committee to be headed by the District Council Affairs (DCA) Minister James K Sangma was also given a month’s time to complete its task.

It may be mentioned that the Bill which seeks to amend the Sixth Schedule was introduced in the Rajya Sabha and was referred to a select committee.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Home Minister James K Sangma said that the sub-committee will be notified on Friday with two other cabinet ministers – Metbah Lyngdoh and Hamletson Dohling as members and commissioner & secretary of DCA, Tining Dkhar as the member secretary.

The committee will also co-opt members from the three autonomous district councils (ADCs) – KHADC, JHADC and GHADC – besides representatives from the MITCRM.

“We have been given a time of one month to address the concerns and accordingly take up with the select committee (of the Rajya Sabha) for their consideration,” James said.

Earlier, MITCRM leader and chairman of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), Samuel B Jyrwa said that the delegation has decided to seek the intervention of the state government in view of many shortcomings in the Bill.

“Therefore, the government has agreed to constitute the sub-committee for removing the thorns which can affect the indigenous community,” Jyrwa said.

The NESO leader said that one of the main demands was to seek immediate deletion for giving nomination to the unrepresented tribes in the ADCs.

“We want the proposed inclusion of unrepresented tribes to be removed,” he said, while maintaining that the MITCRM is not in favour of the proposed move to increase the number of seats at least in the ADCs of Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills region.

On the issue related to adult suffrage, Jyrwa said that the said Bill was silent on this aspect as he recalled that the MHA joint secretary had made it clear that the ADCs are required to frame their own rules on who are eligible to participate in their respective electioneering process.

“We should keep in mind that the objective of the Sixth Schedule has been to protect the indigenous community. But this will be defeated if others are allowed to take part in the elections to the ADCs,” Jyrwa said.