Badaga associations to form committees to seek remunerative price for tea and ST status
The Federation of Badagar Associations (FBA) will be shortly constituting two committees for taking forward the main demands of the community for remunerative price for tea and restoration of Scheduled Tribe status.
At the general body meeting convened on Sunday for electing new officebearers for the association, a resolution was adopted for constituting the two committees, A. Bobblie, the newlyelected FBA president said.
Report
Explaining the current status on the demand for restoration of ST status, Mr. Bobblie said the State Government, on the direction of the Madras High Court, based on a petition filed by Nilgiri Tribal Solidarity, has already filed a fresh report readied by the Tribal Research Centre, Ooty, with the Registrar General of India.
The Union Tribal Ministry has communicated that the issue was being examined.
Participants representing Badaga associations across South India emphasised on initiation of measures to improve the economic lot of the community in the villages and to safeguard the culture, against the backdrop of the largescale migration of families to the plains for livelihood.
The community representatives said they have already prevailed upon the contestants for the Lok Sabha election to incorporate these issues in their manifestoes.
Other resolutions, the newlyelected general secretary J.B. Subramanian said, pertained to waiver of agriculture and higher education loans for the community members, and revival of stipend for students pursuing higher education extended by the Tea Board to the families of the small tea growers.
It was also decided at the meeting hosted by the Tiruppur Badaga Welfare Association that the ambit of FBA will be expanded by roping in Badaga associations across India and in other countries, across continents.
Officebearers
Other officebearers: Treasurer Ganapathy, vicepresidents John Kumar and Saravanan; joint secretaries Billan, Subramani, Rajkumar and Jagdeesh.