Narikuravas meet Stalin to express joy over inclusion in ST list

MADURAI: With a sense of jubilation, several people belonging to the Narikuravar community met Chief Minister MK Stalin in a guest house at Virudhunagar on Thursday and thanked him for the inclusion of the Narikuravas under list of Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Those who met Chief Minister Stalin said that the CM was instrumental in achieving the social status after having repeatedly stressed the needs of the Narikuravas with the Union government.

During the meeting, the Narikurava members also expressed their gratitude to the state government for improving their livelihoods through several welfare schemes and the district administration is providing all necessary facilities.

The Chief Minister then asked authorities for details about the provision of free house site pattas for the ST community, including the Irulars.

Among 49,506 beneficiaries chosen for free house site pattas across Tamil Nadu, pattas have so far been given to 23,472 beneficiaries and efforts are on to provide such pattas to all beneficiaries. The programme was attended by Virudhunagar Collector J Meghanatha Reddy, officials from Revenue Department, Vairavan, president, Narikuravar Sangam and its members, sources said.

Chennai: Former AIADMK chief minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for including the Narikuravar community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. In a letter to Modi, he said “I am grateful for the decision of the Union Cabinet had approved the long-pending proposal for inclusion of a nomadic tribal group in Tamil Nadu know as Narikuravar or Kuruvikkarar community in the list of ST enabling them to avail all the benefits and concessions.” “It is pertinent to point out here that by this decision, the vision of ‘Amma’ (Jayalalithaa), who had made repeated requests to the Centre to include them in the list of ST, has been fulfilled,” he said adding, “by this decision, it is proven that you are an embodiment of social justice”.