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Centre to examine Meghalaya’s demand for ILP: CM Sangma after meeting PM Modi
ILP is an official travel document issued by the Centre to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that the central government will examine issues related to the introduction of inner line permit (ILP) and inclusion of the Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
This development comes a day after Sangma had met PM Modi in the national Capital.
“We have discussed and updated him regarding the discussions on the border talks and the PM expressed his concerns over the same. He was appreciative of the leadership in the North East for having taken the initiative and said that these are difficult challenges but the leadership in different states are now taking this up. He has expressed his happiness and assured all support from the government side,” Sangma informed.
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Sangma added that the PM expressed his desire that there should be a long lasting peace in Meghalaya and asked the state government to move forward in this issue and try to resolve it at the earliest.
He said that PM Modi was referring to the ongoing tripartite peace parleys between the central and state governments with the proscribed rebel outfit Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
Sangma said that the prime minister also spoke on the demand of Meghalaya government for the inclusion of Garo and Khasi languages in the Eighth Schedule.
“And for that also, he understood the concerns that were there, understood the challenges that our people are facing. We mentioned that our children sometimes are unable to write examinations due to language barriers as there are languages which are not known to them.”, he said.
“So even if provisions can be created where at least in the examination for a starting point, we could have some kind of provisions up to that level, we discussed with the PM. The prime minister said that these are genuine concerns but expressed the challenges in terms of languages having different scripts that exist and having to manage all of that. PM expressed his concerns adding that he will examine it”, Sangma added.
On the ILP demand, the CM said, “We could have provisions through which we could protect the interest of the people of the state and hence, expressed that ILP is one of the ways we could do it.”
“We have tried through Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) also. We explained to him about MRSSA too and he listened to us patiently and understood the concerns. He said he will examine the matter and be in touch with the state government, and have a discussion with the home ministry too,” he added.
Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) 2016 is an act introduced by the state government with the purpose to ensure and enhance security of the citizens of the state by making careful and thorough examination of tenants residing in the state, besides effectively monitoring the entrance of non Meghalayans into the state.
On the other hand, ILP is an official travel document issued by the Centre to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.
