GUWAHATI: Assam’s Tribal Affairs (Plains) Minister Ranoj Pegu on Thursday met the leaders of the Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations, Assam (CCTOA), amid concerns that the state government’s decision on granting Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to six communities will affect the interests of existing tribals.

Pegu, who laid the report of the three-member Group of Ministers (GoM) in the Assembly recently, took to X, stating that he had explained the GoM’s recommendations to the CCTOA leaders.

"As per the Assam Cabinet’s decision of 30 November 2025, I met today at Janata Bhawan with the Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations, Assam (CCTOA) to discuss the Group of Ministers’ report on granting ST status to six communities. I explained the recommendations given by the GoM and the measures proposed to safeguard the rights of existing Scheduled Tribes," he wrote.

He further stated that he had requested CCTOA to read Chapters 5 and 6 of the report together. “CCTOA informed that based on our clarifications, they will form an expert committee and submit their report within a month,” Pegu said.

An interim report of the GoM had recommended a three-tier classification of STs – ST (Plains), ST (Hills) and ST (Valley).