Indian Chakmas angry at 'Bengalee' tag in Bangladesh

By Paritosh Chakma

Published in Merinews.com, 12 December, 2011

[The Indian Chakmas are angry over the fact their brethren in Bangladesh were forcibly identified as 'Bengalees' in the recently amended Constitution of Bangladesh.]

INDIAN CHAKMAS have expressed their anger at ‘Bengali tag’ of their brethren, which is aimed at ‘destruction of their identity’ in the recently amended constitution of Bangladesh. Fifteen Indian Chakma civil society organizations submitted a joint “protest letter” to the visiting Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, Mr Dipankar Talukdar at Kamala Nagar, headquarters of Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in South Mizoram today, protesting against his alleged support to the unacceptable reference of the Chakmas and other indigenous peoples including Lushai, Tripuri, Garo etc as “Bengalees” in the recently amended Constitution of Bangladesh.

The Chakmas from Mizoram, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through their civil society organizations expressed the “angst of the Indian Chakmas” against the “destruction of identity of the Chakmas in Bangladesh” as a consequent to the 15th Amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh passed on 30th June 2011 which has branded the Chakmas and other indigenous peoples including Lushai, Tripuri, Garo as “Bengalees”.

The Chakmas civil society organizations have demanded a "written assurance" from Dipankar Talukdar (who also belongs to Chakma community) that after his return to Bangladesh he will take all the necessary measures to impress upon the Sheikh Hasina government to recognize the Chakmas and other ethnic communities as “indigenous peoples” in the Constitution of Bangladesh.

The Indian Chakmas also demanded Mr Talukdar’s personal intervention in his capacity as Member of Parliament and Minister of CHT Affairs for speedy and full implementation of the CHT Peace Accord of 1997 signed between the Government of Bangladesh and the indigenous peoples of CHT which would help restore peace and bring development to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The 15 signatory organizations to the memorandum are Mizoram Chakma Development Forum, Tripura Chakma Students Association, Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union, MAADI, Meghalaya Chakma Students Union, Guwahati Chakma Students Union, Barak Valley Chakma Students Association, The Chakma Voice, Mumbai Chakma Association, Dibrugarh Chakma Students Union, Mizoram Chakma Students Union, the Central Young Chakma Association, Mizoram Chakma Social Forum, Mizoram Buddhist Association and Chakma Mahila Samiti.

Mr Dipankar Talukdar is on an official visit to India (Mizoram) from 7-11 December 2011 to strengthen trade relations between the two countries.


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Also read, Chakmas peeved at 'Bengalee' tag, The Seven Sisters Post, 11.12.2011

Old age pension not paid for last nine months in Mizoram

By Paritosh Chakma

Published in Merinews.com, 10 December 2011

ON DECEMBER 9 2011, Mizoram’s well known voluntary organisation, the Mizoram Chakma Development Forum (MCDF) claimed that Old Age Pension has not been paid in the entire state of Mizoram for the last nine months, since March 2011 and has sought the personal intervention of Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla for payment of Old Age Pension to all the beneficiaries before the Christmas.

In the petition the MCDF stated that as per the Supreme Court order dated 28th November 2001, payment of the pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (IGNOAPS) Scheme shall be made before seventh day of every month and that Central grants meant for the IGNOAPS cannot be diverted for any other purposes as per the direction of the Supreme Court of 27 April 2004. But old age pension has not been paid in the entire state of Mizoram for the last nine months since March 2011 which is direct and blatant violation of the directions of the Supreme Court.

Due to the inordinate delay in the payment of the old age pension, the beneficiaries in the entire state have been sufferings and the State cannot be a silent spectator to their hardships, MCDF stated.

According to Mizoram Upa Pawl (Senior Citizens’ Association) of Mizoram, there are 23,547 beneficiaries of old age pension scheme.

MCDF demands payment of Old Age Pension to all beneficiaries in Mizoram before the Christmas

9 December 2011

Press Release

Old age pension not paid for the last 9 months in Mizoram: MCDF seeks CM’s personal intervention

New Delhi: Today the Mizoram Chakma Development Forum (MCDF) stated that Old Age Pension has not been paid in the entire state of Mizoram for the last nine months, since March 2011 and has sought the personal intervention of Mizoram Chief Minister Mr Lalthanhawla for payment of Old Age Pension to all the beneficiaries before the Christmas. The petition has been submitted by fax.

“In the petition the MCDF stated that as per the Hon’ble Supreme Court order dated 28^th November 2001, payment of the pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (IGNOAPS) Scheme shall be made before seventh day of every month and that Central grants meant for the IGNOAPS cannot be diverted for any other purposes as per the direction of the Supreme Court of 27 April 2004. But old age pension has not been paid in the entire state of Mizoram for the last 9 months since March 2011 which is direct and blatant violation of the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.” – stated  Hemanta Larma, president of MCDF.

“Due to the inordinate delay in the payment of the old age pension, the beneficiaries in the entire state have been sufferings and the State cannot be a silent spectator to their hardships”, further stated Mr Larma.

The petition was also submitted to the Mizoram Governor His Excellency Shri V B Purushathaman, and the Office of the Supreme Court Commissioners, New Delhi. 

(Source: http://mcdf.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/mcdf-demands-payment-of-old-age-pension-to-all-beneficiaries-in-mizoram-before-christmas/ )