Mumbai: Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike on Saturday, August 29, announced that the government had accepted all the demands of the tribal student protestors who are on a hunger strike in three cities.
The demands concerned recruitment of Scheduled Tribes candidates in government service and improvement in conditions at residential schools for tribal children.
The protest in Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, which began in the aftermath of the death of three tribal girls due to snakebite at a residential school in Gadchiroli district, is expected to be called off later in the day.
Representatives of the protesting students thanked state Congress leaders and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), among others, for supporting their agitation.
Speaking to reporters here, Uike said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after holding discussions with the delegations of the protesting students, accepted all the demands raised by them.
“The chief minister has also assured them that after three months, a meeting will be held again to review the implementation of the decisions and to see whether there are any difficulties,” the minister said.
He appealed to the students on hunger strike to withdraw their protest and return to their studies.
The key demands concerned the placement of Scheduled Tribes in the second position in the point roster as per the relevant government resolution, Uike said, adding that a committee had already been constituted, and the government would take action based on its recommendations, which are expected within three months.
Detailed discussions were also held on recruitment under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, and non-PESA areas. Of the 17 cadres covered under PESA, recruitment has already been completed for nine cadres, while directions have been issued to immediately start recruitment for the remaining cadres, he said.
The issue of supernumerary posts for Scheduled Tribe candidates was also discussed in the context of the Supreme Court’s July 6, 2017, judgment. The government would determine the number of such posts within three months and complete the process within six months, the minister said.
Uike said the government has also directed that third-party audits be conducted to identify deficiencies in both aided and government-run tribal residential schools and action be taken promptly.
The student representatives said the principal demand was recruitment to 12,500 posts and that the government had agreed to provide a concrete timetable for filling them. The chief minister assured them that vacant posts would be identified within three months, they said.
They had also raised the issue of candidates who had secured government jobs despite not possessing caste validity certificates. The students claimed that some candidates appointed in 2018, 2019 and 2020 were still continuing in service despite not submitting validity certificates within six months.
The chief minister assured them that action against such candidates would begin from Sunday, including relieving them from service wherever applicable, the representatives said.
The government also cancelled the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme on Saturday as per their demand, the students said.
Regarding the central kitchen system, they said a committee was appointed, and its report was expected within 15 days to one month, following which the chief minister would take a final decision.
They were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting as they received a time-bound programme for addressing their demands, the representatives said.
They acknowledged the support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar, state Congress leader Yashomati Thakur and NSUI for providing them a platform and helping bring media attention to their issues.
“The increased media coverage compelled the government to take note of our demands,” they said.
Earlier in the day, the Bombay High Court had directed the government to ensure the well-being of the students who are on a hunger strike. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad said it did not want any more young lives to be lost.
