Nara Lokesh seeks ST status for Valmikis, Boyas

Vijayawada: TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh has urged Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to convince the Centre to include Valmiki and Boya communities in the ST list. In a letter to the CM here on Wednesday, he stressed on the need for conferring the ST status for the two communities which have been eking out their livelihoods by hunting and gathering forest produce since ancient times.

He told the CM that on December 1, 2017, the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet approved a resolution recommending to the Central government the inclusion of the two communities in the ST list. The state's recommendation was based on the Satyapal panel report. The Cabinet and state Assembly and Council resolutions along with the Satyapal report were sent to the Centre for further proceedings.

The TDP MLC reminded the Chief Minister of his pre-election promise to strive for ST status to Valmikis/Boyas. The previous TDP government had provided all the required information to the clarifications sought by the Union tribal affairs ministry on September 5, 2018. Ever since, the issue had been pending with the Centre. He accused the CM of turning blind eye to the cause of the STs. Lokesh recalled that on October 20, 2021, former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wrote a letter to the Prime Minister seeking the ST status to Valmikis/Boyas. It was on the occasion of the Valmiki jayanti. However, the AP government had not initiated any efforts towards this objective.

He said any government should continue efforts to complete the tasks and projects initiated by the previous governments for solving the problems of the people. He urged the CM to take an all-party delegation to Delhi to press for the inclusion of Valmikis/Boyas in the ST list.