letter-
Apropos the news item appearing in your paper of 16 September 2013 under the caption “SLYA dismayed over absence of reserved seats for Primitive Tribes in Medical Studies” regarding the absence of seats in MBBS and BDS for the Primitive Tribes of Sikkim. We are shocked to learn the dichotomous stand of the Government regarding the welfare of the so called Primitive Tribe of Sikkim. The Chief Minister had announced in the Tendong Lho Rum Faat celebrations that 5% reservation in higher studies for the Primitive Tribes from this academic session but the HRDD simply did not implement this order and thus made a mockery of the much publicized order. This is nothing new when we look into the chain of actions initiated by the SDF Government to weaken and wipe out the Lepcha tribes from the map of Sikkim so much so that they are being classified as Primitive Tribes in the land of their origin. All of us know that the much hyped Primitive Tribes status has no Constitutional guarantee and therefore the tall promises that are being given have no meaning and purpose. How sincere the SDF government was for the well being and welfare of the Lepcha communities can be seen from the actions of the State government in acquiring land of the indigenous Lepchas of Dzongu for power projects, land for the Tourism Village at Ranka and the land at Solophok, all protected by the old law of Sikkim without even working out a rehabilitation package for the displaced persons.
The Primitive Tribe status for the Lepchas of Darjeeling district for the preservation, protection of their cultural, social and religious ethos have a different significance for the people of these areas and it is to their credit they have been able to preserve and retain their cultural and social practices till date despite the pressure of demographic change there. The West Bengal Government has set up a Lepcha Development Board and has promised job opportunities for 5,000 Lepchas in police and paramilitary forces besides creating 100 job opportunities in Primitive Tribe Board itself.
In Sikkim the Primitive Tribe Board has no member of recognizable standing well conversant with the history, culture and social ethos of the Lepcha community. How can we expect strong reaction from such docile, selfish and motivated Board members whenever injustices as explained above occur?
It is time that we wake up from our deep slumber and realize where the so called leaders of the Lepcha community are taking us to. The only silver lining for the communities is that our boys and girls are now taking up their studies seriously and some of our boys have come out successful in UPSC examination. There are a number of well qualified boys and girls from the Lepcha community and the only requirement is that they should come out of their shell and start asserting their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
If we look into the history of Sikkim, West and South districts were dominated by Lepchas and today their presence in these two districts is pathetic and minimal. Today sizeable population of Lepcha communities will be found only in North district and some pockets in East district but the most loathsome and distressing fact is that they are being sidelined gradually and systematically in the land of their own origin. It is time that we wake up and take up the challenge of our survival seriously, otherwise we will be completely wiped out if we depend on the false promises of the motivated political leaders any more.
Tashi Wangchuk Lepcha, Gangtok, Sikkim
Mayalmit Lepcha, Hee-Gyathang, Lower Dzongu, North Sikkim
Apropos the news item appearing in your paper of 16 September 2013 under the caption “SLYA dismayed over absence of reserved seats for Primitive Tribes in Medical Studies” regarding the absence of seats in MBBS and BDS for the Primitive Tribes of Sikkim. We are shocked to learn the dichotomous stand of the Government regarding the welfare of the so called Primitive Tribe of Sikkim. The Chief Minister had announced in the Tendong Lho Rum Faat celebrations that 5% reservation in higher studies for the Primitive Tribes from this academic session but the HRDD simply did not implement this order and thus made a mockery of the much publicized order. This is nothing new when we look into the chain of actions initiated by the SDF Government to weaken and wipe out the Lepcha tribes from the map of Sikkim so much so that they are being classified as Primitive Tribes in the land of their origin. All of us know that the much hyped Primitive Tribes status has no Constitutional guarantee and therefore the tall promises that are being given have no meaning and purpose. How sincere the SDF government was for the well being and welfare of the Lepcha communities can be seen from the actions of the State government in acquiring land of the indigenous Lepchas of Dzongu for power projects, land for the Tourism Village at Ranka and the land at Solophok, all protected by the old law of Sikkim without even working out a rehabilitation package for the displaced persons.
The Primitive Tribe status for the Lepchas of Darjeeling district for the preservation, protection of their cultural, social and religious ethos have a different significance for the people of these areas and it is to their credit they have been able to preserve and retain their cultural and social practices till date despite the pressure of demographic change there. The West Bengal Government has set up a Lepcha Development Board and has promised job opportunities for 5,000 Lepchas in police and paramilitary forces besides creating 100 job opportunities in Primitive Tribe Board itself.
In Sikkim the Primitive Tribe Board has no member of recognizable standing well conversant with the history, culture and social ethos of the Lepcha community. How can we expect strong reaction from such docile, selfish and motivated Board members whenever injustices as explained above occur?
It is time that we wake up from our deep slumber and realize where the so called leaders of the Lepcha community are taking us to. The only silver lining for the communities is that our boys and girls are now taking up their studies seriously and some of our boys have come out successful in UPSC examination. There are a number of well qualified boys and girls from the Lepcha community and the only requirement is that they should come out of their shell and start asserting their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
If we look into the history of Sikkim, West and South districts were dominated by Lepchas and today their presence in these two districts is pathetic and minimal. Today sizeable population of Lepcha communities will be found only in North district and some pockets in East district but the most loathsome and distressing fact is that they are being sidelined gradually and systematically in the land of their own origin. It is time that we wake up and take up the challenge of our survival seriously, otherwise we will be completely wiped out if we depend on the false promises of the motivated political leaders any more.
Tashi Wangchuk Lepcha, Gangtok, Sikkim
Mayalmit Lepcha, Hee-Gyathang, Lower Dzongu, North Sikkim
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