UTAA President Prakash Velip stated, “The reservation ordinance and implementation needs six months. Only political will is required.”
On July 30 and 31, a UTAA delegation led by Velip met the Tribal Welfare Minister, Home Minister and many others in Delhi and tendered a memorandum asking for political reservations.
According to the Population Census of 2011, scheduled tribes account for 10.5 per cent of Goa’s population. There is a high concentration of ST people in Sanguem, Fatorda, Nuvem, Quepem, and Priol. Going by the percentage of reservation, tribals have to get at least four per cent reservation in the upcoming Assembly election.
“For 12 years we have been demanding reservations. We have tendered a memorandum to Central ministers asking to move an ordinance at the Central-level and send it to the State for implementation. We have demanded ordinance on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, which got ST reservation by means of an ordinance. We want our constitutional right that we have been deprived off for the last two Assembly elections due to the Census,” said Velip at a press conference on Wednesday.
Velip informed that all factions are with the STs and even Home Minister Rajnath Singh had promised them support.
