In a significant policy reversal aimed at safeguarding indigenous identities, the Assam government has decided to exempt tribal groups, including the tea tribes, Morans, Motoks, and Scheduled Tribes, from the two-child norm prescribed for government employment.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the cabinet’s decision in Guwahati on Thursday, describing it as an essential step to prevent the gradual extinction of smaller ethnic groups. “The cabinet has approved an exemption for members of the tea tribes, Morans, Motoks, and Scheduled Tribes from the two-child restriction under the state’s population policy,” Sarma said. “If we continue enforcing the policy for these groups, they may lose their identity and face extinction within the next 50 years,” he warned.
Sarma highlighted that the Moran community’s population currently stands at barely one lakh and noted that social scientists had strongly recommended relaxing the two-child restriction to ensure the demographic survival of such micro-communities.
Also read: IED blast on track halts rail traffic in Assam, north Bengal
The two-child norm was introduced under the Assam Public Services Rules, 2019, and came into force in January 2021. While it continues to apply to other groups, Sarma clarified that the state government plans to link it progressively to welfare schemes while maintaining exemptions for the indigenous population.
The Chief Minister also announced that the long-delayed Tiwari Commission Report on the 1983 Nellie massacre would be tabled during the upcoming November session of the Assam Assembly. “We did not present the report earlier because the commission chairman had not signed the government’s copy. We have now verified its authenticity by conducting official interviews and forensic checks,” Sarma said.
In another major move, the cabinet approved amendments to the Land Ceiling Act to facilitate the distribution of 2.9 lakh bighas—about 96,000 acres—of land among four lakh families belonging to the tea tribe community. Sarma termed the initiative “a major step in social empowerment”.
The government also cleared a proposal to revise the cost of Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd’s methanol and formalin project from ₹1,709.18 crore to ₹2,267.22 crore, incorporating additional equity support from the state exchequer.
Follow us
