Nagaland should look into grievances of Kacharis

•-It is to draw the attention of the State Govt, Civil organizations, groups and intellectuals in regard to the present status of the Kacharis or Dimasas living in the State of Nagaland.Although it may not be proper to raise this petty issue of a single tribe at this juncture when FNR and some frontal organizations are serious in the reconciliation process of the Nagas as a whole for solution of the vexed Naga problem, I beg to share the problem which confronted us in every step. It is well aware that the Kacharis are one of the recognized sixteen tribes of the State of Nagaland. The treatment meted out to this minor tribe of course is not as bad as one thought it to be and not good as one expected it to be. I as an individual believe that the people in general feel at home to be among the other 15 tribes in the State. Nevertheless the present generation of educated youth has an apprehension of being sidelined gradually in all the privileges extended by the Government. At the outset let me enlighten the present existence and concentration of the Kacharis in the State. They are concentrated in 18 villages in Dimapur district besides those dwelling in the towns of Nagaland. The population is approximately 20,000 or little more in the State. It is not by migration the Kacharis are here today they are but the remnants of the last king of the once prosperous Dimasa Kingdom of the 13th century. We are privileged to be one of the 16 (sixteen) tribes of Nagaland. We always stand by any decision of the majority people of the State for betterment of the people and the state.

The following are the reasons why we as one of the minority tribes are apprehensive of the future and existence in the state of Nagaland.
1.    The Kacharis as a tribe has no representation in any of the frontal Organizations such as Naga Hoho,Dimapur Naga Council, NSF, DNSU or recently formed Naga Commission, perhaps because we are not Naga by ethnicity which is why we cannot be part of nation building in the future.
2.    Certain Government Departments started advertising jobs inviting only Indigenous Naga tribes of Nagaland forgetting the existing Government policy of eligibility of all indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland such as any Naga tribe, Kuki, Kachari,Garo and Mikirs.
3.    The name of Dimapur is taken to be a name of non-locals which in fact was derived from the Dimasa or Kachari dialect.
4.    Not a single Officer has been recruited or appointed in the Administrative line till date. Of course it might be because we are lacking behind in education or not been able to compete with the advance tribes with whom our tribe is clubbed. The Govt. could have done something relaxing the existing recruitment policy.
5.    All the Primary schools in the Kachari areas are provided with teachers from other tribes overlooking many eligible local candidates despite having a policy for appointment of teacher from respective tribes on linguistic line.
6.    The land donated by the Kachari villagers to the Govt. departments are given on allotment to private individuals instead of utilizing for creating infrastructure for development.
7.    In most cases the Kacharis are sidelined by the authority on any Govt. programmes such as PMEGP,CM corpus fund for educated unemployed, grants or subsidies for farmers etc.
8.    The Kachari NGOs are perhaps the poorest organizations financially because of the absence of people in high positions who could have been donors to the organizations.

Despite facing all the above problems the Kacharis remain meek and voiceless till today. It should be remembered that the Kacharis would continue to be part and parcel of greater Naga society whether the authority or the people like it or not. Perhaps it is the duty of the Government to look   into the above grievances and address the same in accommodative spirit.                                                            Mr.Ansa Kharau,Dimapur Town