ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Aug 21:  The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) and Arunachal State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) have  appealed the people of the state to go through the entire draft of the ‘The Arunachal Pradesh Marriage and Inheritance of Property Bill, 2021’ carefully and accordingly pour in suggestions.
Addressing media persons at the press club here on Saturday, APSCW Chairperson Radhilu Chai Techi said that the ‘The Arunachal Pradesh Marriage and Inheritance of Property Bill, 2021’ is a draft to provide equal rights to the women community of the state and nowhere to diminish the rights of any man.
She also informed that it took years to draft it and was finalized after prior awareness camps, discussion among community based organizations, students unions and also research by women teams.
She said that the social media trial over clause 39 of the draft is an old draft which is circulating in social media, which in the final draft falls under clause 42 and 43.
Under clause 42, the right of an APST woman married to Non APST on inherited immovable property; the APST woman married to Non APST man shall enjoy any immovable property inherited from the head of the family in her lifetime.
“Subject to the basic limit that the properties so inherited would devolve, in the event of her death upon the heirs of her ancestors from whom she inherited,” she said.
Likewise, under clause 43, the rights over movable property owned and acquired by APST women married to Non APST, after her death, her heirs and husband would have all rights to dispose and alienation to any indigenous tribal of the state,” she added.
Chai said there was little suggestion from a section of the group to change the words which are preferably not apt to be used in clause 42 and 43, for which the commission welcomes such an approach. 
She also said that every indigenous citizen of the state is born ST and according to the Supreme court order, no one can cancel his or her ST status even if married to a man from another community.
“The demand of few people to cancel the ST status of APST women married to a Non APST is futile, if looked into constitutionally. We can’t overlook the constitutional right of women by birth,” she said, appealing to the people of state to come forward and pour in suggestions for better framing and safeguarding the rights of the women community of the state.
She also said that nowhere in the clause it has been written that the Non APST married to an APST woman will have rights over her movable as well as immovable property.
“The commission is not against any customary practices. Therefore, the draft was made incorporating inputs from special marriage acts. Moreover, the draft clearly states the land rights owned by parents and not the ancestral lands,” she added. The commission is also working on polygamy because it is interlinked with the rights of women.
Meanwhile, President- Arunachal Pradesh Women Welfare Society (APWWS) Gumri Ringu said that the entire draft is for a bright and healthy future for the girl and women community. She appreciated AAPSU for being clear over their response to the clause, thereby opposing it.
However, she also condemned the slang words used in social media against the members of the women commission. She requested the masses to refrain from such dirty comments and instead come forward with better suggestions to secure the life of women in tribal society.
Ringu also clarified that one Topi Basar was never a part of the drafting committee and has just written an article on ‘The Arunachal Pradesh Marriage and Inheritance of Property Bill, 2021’ , which was published in a news daily.
“I appeal to the people to stop trolling her (Topi Basar) and also not make the matter a political issue as it is purely ‘social’,” she added.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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