Agartala, Sept. 24: With the Union home ministry putting final touches to the amendment bill to empower autonomous district councils (ADCs) for the indigenous communities in the Northeast, the regional Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) has demanded direct fund flow from the Centre to ADCs bypassing the state government.

A delegation of INPT led by party president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawal, general secretary Jagadish Debbarma, assistant general secretaries Rajeshwar Debbarma and Rabindra Debbarma and treasurer Ratish Tripura met the joint secretary in the Union home ministry, Shambhu Singh, and apprised him of how the ADCs based on the Sixth Schedule in Tripura had been reduced to a “mere department” of the state government by the ruling Left Front.

They alleged that altogether eight departments of the state government, earmarked to be handed over to the ADCs, are still with the government. “The ADCs should have a police force of their own and total control of the revenue department and its functioning. But nothing has been handed over to the ADC by the Left Front government,” Hrangkhawal said.

Hrangkhawal said over phone from Delhi that Shambhu Singh had told him that a draft amendment bill for further empowering the ADC had already been prepared for tabling in Parliament but the bill had to be vetted by the Union law department and legislative wing of the ministry. Singh, however, did not make it clear whether the provision for direct funding of ADCs by the Centre over the head of the state government had been incorporated in the draft amendment bill or not.

Having discussed the issue with the joint secretary home, the INPT delegation met in deputation with the Union minister from Northeast Kiren Rijiju and apprised him of the situation. “The minister took information from us about the state of affairs of the ADCs, tribal education and their economic condition and promised to look into the matter of the proposed amendment bill. He said steps would be taken to ensure that the ADCs could function as vibrant institutions,” said Hrangkhawal, adding that unless the system of separate funding was introduced, the ADCs would languish as lame ducks and as departments of the state government.

The INPT leaders last year said the UPA II government had taken an initiative to amend the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to further empower the ADCs and sought opinion from them and governments of states in which they are located.

“Tripura ADC communicated its opinion inordinately late in December last year but the UPA II could not pass the amendment bill and the matter rested there. But now the NDA government has taken an initiative to pass the amendment and we are pressing for direct funding without which the ADCs will not be able to perform its constitutionally assigned tasks,” said Hrangkhawal.