* 2 Bills passed * Gabriel’s amended PMR adopted
By A O News Service
ITANAGAR | Oct 16 | Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on third day of ongoing assembly session here today, committed to offer better facilitates to gaon burahs in next budget in recognition of their invaluable services in response to a private member’s resolution (PMR) moved by former CM Nabam Tuki pleading for free electricity, free telephone and TV connections.
The mover’s intentions toe with everyone’s intention, he said, adding the GBs have been playing vital roles since NEFA days and serve as one-point solution to all problems at village level. But no Govt gave serious thought to their services. The GB was getting mere honourarium of Rs 500 and HGB Rs 600 which has been hiked by his Govt to Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 respectively. The state has total 1,342 HGBs and 8024 GBs, totaling 9,366.
Highlighting GBs’ role in state’s socio-economic development, taking part in all Govt programmes, maintaining law & order, solving all disputes in villages despite no Govt establishment, giving verdict even in murder cases through local customary laws with power granted under Assam Frontier (Administration of Justice) Regulation, 1945, Tuki said that grant of such benefits were approved by the Cabinet in 2015 and .former chief justice of India during his visit to Itanagar had appreciated their services. The GoAP could issue LPC only for five hectares, Tuki said, adding but there are many who want to cultivate tea in much larger areas. Thus, the GoAP should facilitate willing tea growers to get registered with the TBI to avail its incentives.
Thus, the resolution has been moved to strengthen the GB institution, he said and cited the example of Sagalee sub-division which has only a ‘C’ class police station for effective role of GBs, who work on behalf of the GoAP to ensure peace.
Hinting at inequality in GB appointment in districts, the CM said that Tawang has one GB for each village. On free power proposal, he said that Arunachal loses Rs 300 crore annually as operation and purchase cost of Rs 250 crore each total to Rs 500 against annual revenue of Rs 200 crore.
When Speaker T N Thongdok suggested to withdraw after the CM said the resolution intended free telephone and TV connections but such facilities were not given equally and those deprived would be given when Pario said it should be given as announced in the assembly in the past.
When Tuki sought a committee, speaker said there is no need and he was not trying to demean the oldest GB institution followed by the CM’s commitment for Tuki to withdrew his resolution.
In another PMR, Gabriel D Wangsu said that the GoI quoting Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and 1996 Supreme Court verdict had directed Tea Board of India (TBI) to register tea growers with NoC issued by Union Environment & Forest Ministry in place of the GoAP.
This had hit hard small tea growers of 18 districts of the state, which has total 3,410 tea growers. If Rubber Board of India (RBI) is offering incentives for rubber cultivation without such provision, why tea is exception? The state with 12.4 millom grams tea production annually is 2nd highest producer in NE after Assam while Tripura produces 10 million grams, he disclosed.
He urged the GoAP to examine the whole issue, submits area-wise data to the TBI and take action to end the tedious process.
CT Mein, in his support, said tea growers have not been availing TBI incentive, unlike rest of India, as TBI does not recognize land possession certificate (LPC) obtained with difficulty, same as patta system of Assam, Nagaland & Meghalaya, he said.
The TBI offers huge subsidies, like Rs 1.86 lakh per hectare for cultivation. The 22.12.96 SC blanket ban on forest activities had created hurdle and paralyzed Lohit district economy, particularly those engaged in timber trade. TBI offers subsidy only after its officer inspects cultivated land to certify it as non-forest area, which was a herculean task. However, state’s huge private lands could facilitate tea cultivation to generate huge employment to benefit, may be half of state’s population, he said.
“Land with tress are not allowed but only tree-less only are given subsidy. Thus, the state is losing huge revenue. When this facility is availed by rest of India, why not Arunachal? Why not approach the TBI to honour LPC”, he said and asked the GoAP to act.
Tage Taki, Japu Deru and Laisam Simai supported the resolution, while Wangling Lowangdong terming tea as indigenous urged the GoAP to move the GoI to facilitate its cultivation in jhoom and private lands.
DyCM Chowna Mein, responding to discussions, said that the GoAP was issuing LPCs but someone from Tirap had complained to GoI that all tea cultivations were in reserve forest that led to ban on tea cultivation without NoC from Union MoEF.
Even a law to recognize the LPC would be ineffective till the SC ban remains in force, Mein said, describing tea as the most organised farming in India. The tea auction centres facilitate easy marketing to benefit large number small tea cultivators in India. He quoted his relative who started tea cultivation with his family members to become financially well off very fast.
It has been decided that the Govt firms alone would cultivate and supply saplings for which Rs 10 crore besides Rs 10 crore for rubber cultivation have been earmarked. State’s 62 tea growers with 3,058 hectare cultivated area registered with TBI while 1,094 small tea growers with 7,357 hectares cultivated land are not registered. He hinted about loan granted by the GoAP to entrepreneurs.
Accepting Tuki’s suggestion for amendment that would remove the sufferings of small tea growers, Mein read out the amended form – The GoAP take step to pursue the GoI on the long pending issue with reference to MoEF, by forming a joint committee to solve the issue in a time bound manner to ease suffering of small tea growers for their registration with TBI
Pointing out that such a resolution was adopted in the past, Wangsu said state’s forest department should change its attitude as it had mentioned in a report that trees were felled in forest areas for tea cultivation. Some tea growers were registered with TBI before 1996, while few managed to get NoC from MoEF on 13.07.08, he informed.
As Arunachal has huge potentials to be India’s largest tea producer, he said quoting TBI plan for Arunachal and Meghalaya and consented to the amended resolution looking forward for a brighter future.
The resolution in amended form as announced by the DyCM was put to vote by Speaker T Norbu Thongdok and passed by voice vote.
Two bills – Kameng Professional & Technical University Arunachal Pradesh Bill, 2017 and Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Produce & Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Bill, 2017 – were passed earlier.
Though Lowangdong wanted to know the status of Patkai Hill University assured by Education Minister Honchun Ngandam during last session, by speaker said the there is no discussion about university.
Pointing out that 11 members had discussed during last session and a committee was formed under his chairmanship on the bill, Ngandam moved the bill, which was passed by voice vote.
Moving the Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Produce & Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Bill, 2017, Agriculture Minister Wangki Lowang said that it is an extension of principal act of GoI to ensure food security of 22.50% BPL category population of India besides taking not of concern over farmers’ suicide cases. Various sections of agriculture have not received proper attention though the Act was amendment in 1989 & 2003 bringing change and marketing regulation to create a competitive atmosphere to end exploitation of rural farmers. The Act intends to give a level playing field to all stakeholders to end monopoly, he reasoned.
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