AGARTALA: The Tripura Assembly has passed an unanimous resolution to increase the number of seats in the TTAADC, the state's tribal council, from 30 to 50.
BJP MLA Arun Chandra Bhowmick on Friday moved a private members resolution that the state government take an initiative to increase the number of seats in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) from 30 to 50 in public interest.
The resolution was passed unanimously by the Assembly on Friday.
Tribal Welfare minister Mebar Kumar Jamatiya on Friday said in the assembly that the resolution is important because in the last 35 years no initiative was taken to elevate the status of the tribal council.
At present the TTAADC has 30-seats.
The Tripura government on November 15 last year had decided to elevate the status of the TTAADC into a 'Territorial Council' to provide more autonomy and financial grants to it.
The TTAADC comprises two-third of Tripura's territory and is home to the tribals who constitute a third of the state's estimated 40 lakh population.
Jamatiya earlier on Wednesday said that the decision to elevate the status of TTAADC into a 'Territorial Council' was taken in a meeting of the council of ministers held at the civil secretariat on November 15 last year.
He said on October 21 last year the state government had received a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs asking for the state government's recommendations for elevation of the tribal council.
The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Act 1979 was passed by Parliament and the TTAADC came into being on January 15, 1982.
Later it was upgraded under the provision of the 6th schedule of the Constitution by the 49th constitution (Amendment) Act, 1984 with effect from April 1, 1985.