The State government has made it mandatory for local tribes residing in areas under the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to avail the tribe certificate from the council before they can be issued Scheduled Tribes certificate.
Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh today said that applicants for SC or ST certificates in the State would have to submit the tribe certificate from a competent authority for areas under KHADC.
“Apart from what was listed in the guidelines for receipt and disposal of application, we have included one more clause that one of the items to be furnished would include tribe certificate from a competent authority for areas under KHADC which shall be mandatory,” he said.
“This was not included all along in spite of the tribe certificate being a valid legal document issued by KHADC. So in order for anybody to register themselves or claim or seek to be registered and to be issued with an ST certificate they should possess a tribe certificate issued by the KHADC as a pre-condition,” Lyngdoh added.
