A delegation comprising Central Committee and Taluka Committee office-bearers of the Akhil Gomantak Dhangar Unnati Mandal met Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant on Friday, urging the Goa government to expedite efforts to secure Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Dhangar community in Goa.
The delegation was led by the organisation’s president, Chandrakant (Babu) Kavalekar. Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai was also present during the meeting.
During the meeting, Kavalekar and other office-bearers held detailed discussions with the Chief Minister on the long-pending demand for the inclusion of the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribe list. The delegation also submitted a memorandum seeking early action on the proposal.
The demand for Scheduled Tribe status has remained one of the Dhangar community’s longest-standing issues in Goa. Community leaders have maintained that while the Gawda, Kunbi and Velip communities have already been granted ST status, the Dhangar community continues to await inclusion under the same category.
The issue has seen sustained political efforts over the years. In an earlier initiative, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant led a Goa delegation to New Delhi, accompanied by then Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavalekar and other senior state representatives, to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda.
Following that meeting, Kavalekar had described the discussions with the Union Home Minister as successful, saying the Centre had responded positively to the community’s demand.
“The meeting was a successful one. The positive stand taken by Home Minister Amit Shah will smoothen the future process of getting Dhangar community of Goa its much deserving ST status,” Kavalekar had said.
Kavalekar had also noted that the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI), which had previously raised queries on the proposal on four occasions, was directed by the Union Home Minister to expedite the process.
“This meeting was crucial as RGI, which falls under the Home Ministry, had on four occasions raised queries on the proposal. Home Minister Shah inviting RGI Vivek Joshi and giving him directions to clear the future process itself was like battle half won for all of us who attended this meeting,” he had said.
Following those discussions, the Goa delegation also met officials of the Registrar General of India to discuss the future course of action, while the proposal was expected to move to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs after the necessary clearances.
More recently, Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said the Centre was expected to take a final view on the issue of political reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Goa after consultations with the Solicitor General. According to Tawadkar, Amit Shah had assured a delegation that the matter would be examined before a final decision is communicated to Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant.
Leave a Reply