GUWAHATI The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has approved a report by a Group of Ministers (GoM) on granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities of the State.

The communities are Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, Matak, Moran, Tai Ahom, and “tea tribes” (Adivasis). Information Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pijush Hazarika are members of the GoM headed by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu.

“The GoM report will be placed before the Assembly and forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further action,” the Chief Minister said after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (November 26, 2025) night.

The five-day winter session of the 126-member House concludes on November 29.

The Cabinet’s approval is seen as a crucial step for the long-standing demand for ST status by the six communities, who have been organising a series of demonstrations for almost a month.

The Chief Minister said the Cabinet also approved the transfer and modification of three bighas of land from the Government Muga Farm in Guwahati’s Khanapara area, currently under the Handloom, Textiles, and Sericulture Department, to the Cultural Affairs Department. The land will be used to build a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to Assam’s rich and diverse textile heritage.

The museum will feature the Vrindavani Vastra, a rare and culturally significant textile created during the Vaishnavite renaissance pioneered by saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva. The textile will be loaned from the British Museum in London.

“We intend to make the museum a major cultural landmark showcasing Assam’s weaving legacy, including muga silk traditions,” the Chief Minister said.