Manipur: Tribal Youth Council demand overhaul of 53-year-old governance system

The Tribal Youth Council of Manipur met with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla today with a critical assessment: the state's tribal regions remain trapped in developmental stagnation due to an obsolete administrative framework that has gone unchanged for over five decades.

During their meeting at Raj Bhavan, TYCM representatives presented evidence that 75% of Manipur's hill areas have experienced minimal progress, directly attributing this crisis to the limitations of the Hill Areas Committee established under a 1972 Presidential Order.

The council members argue that the 53-year-old governance structure lacks enforcement powers, leaving the committee as little more than a consultative body while tribal communities face mounting challenges. Staff shortages across key departments have crippled basic services, with school infrastructure deteriorating and administrative functions severely hampered.

The memorandum emphasised that without legislative, financial, and executive empowerment, tribal regions will continue to suffer from systemic neglect, with TYCM calling for immediate intervention to prevent further marginalisation of Manipur's tribal populations.

The comprehensive charter of demands presented to the Governor includes urgent staffing solutions for the Directorate of Tribal Affairs & Hills and associated institutions, completion of stalled infrastructure projects, and financial support for village-level governance through the proposed amendment of the Manipur Village Authorities Act.

TYCM specifically highlighted the plight of contractual employees in the Manipur State Commission for Scheduled Tribes, who remain without job security, and Autonomous District Council employees who have been denied 7th Pay Commission arrears spanning four years from April 2019 to March 2023.

The council's central demand focuses on amending the Presidential Order under Article 371C to grant the Hill Areas Committee real authority rather than its current advisory role. This structural change, they argue, is essential to address decades of administrative neglect in tribal regions.

Governor Bhalla assured the delegation that infrastructure development would receive priority attention and promised to address their concerns, though specific timelines for implementing the requested reforms remain unclear.