Tribal leaders apprise Union Tribal Minister on Manipur Govt's attempt to misappropriate tribal welfare fund

Strongly condemning the Manipur Government for supporting a proposal aimed at securing funding from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in New Delhi for Meitei NGOs under the guise of tribal development, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) has said that such a distressing revelation uncovered a disturbing narrative of systematic injustice, corruption, and discrimination against the indigenous tribal communities of Manipur.

On October 23, 2023, the Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, had submitted a proposal to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda, claiming to foster sustainable employment and self-reliance among Manipur's tribal population. The revelation of the projects, mentioned in the DPR, amount to over 3 crores, thus deepening the concerned tribal populace in the State, given the sinister reality lurking behind those seemingly well-intentioned words.

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Mr. Ginza Vualzong, Media and Publicity, ITLF, in a statement issued on Monday, said that the proposal, endorsed by the Manipur State Government, asserted that those Meitei (primarily General category) NGOs operated in remote tribal districts and areas. However, he informed the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Union Minister, Arjun Munda, that the Kuki-Zo tribals were entirely oblivious to any projects or initiatives undertaken by those NGOs to date, purportedly for the betterment of the tribal communities.

"It is our profound suspicion that these Meitei NGOs, conveniently headquartered in Imphal, are exploiting the tribal community as a means to secure project funds from the Centre, which the State Government can and likely will divert for their own undisclosed purposes," he said.

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"This revelation, among other ominous aspects, includes an audacious demand by the Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) quota benefits, in an apparent attempt to capitalize on the financial advantages associated with this category. This is despite their existing classification and protection under the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) categories," Ginza added.

The tribal leader stated that the actions of the Manipur State Government and the allegations of exploitation by the Meitei NGOs have shone a harsh light on Manipur's increasingly divided and troubled socio-political landscape where everything is for, by and of the Meitei.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum called on the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, to scrutinize the matter and ensure that the continued violation and denial of human rights and development and the neglect of constitutional principles by the Meitei-centric Manipur State Government were promptly addressed.