Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, 2 Apr: Rajya Sabha member Nabam Rebia on Thursday raised the long-pending demand for inclusion of Arunachal Pradesh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution on the floor of the House.
He said that most tribal states in the Northeast region have been included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, and it is time Arunachal was also brought under its ambit.
“If included, it will help protect the religious and social practices of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh,” Rebia said.
“The tribals of Arunachal will get many benefits, including protection of ownership and transfer of land and its resources, preservation of customary laws and procedures, and administration of civil and criminal justice,” he said.
Rebia informed that the issue had been raised earlier in both Houses of Parliament. “Unanimous resolutions have been passed by the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, demanding inclusion of the state in the Sixth Schedule, and have been forwarded to the Government of India. We are awaiting a response from the Centre,” he said.
He further stated that Arunachal was created under Article 371(H).
“This article provides special provisions to the Centre through the governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
It gives the governor extraordinary powers over law and order in the state, and importantly, decisions under this article cannot be questioned. Therefore, we want the state to be included in the Sixth Schedule like other Northeastern states,” Rebia added.
