Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee. India

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) With the country witnessing unrest in many tribal dominated regions, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said indigenous people have the right to acquire all modern amenities and become part of the mainstream. "Indigenous people have the righ not only to preserve their indigenous culture but acquire all modern amenities and become part of the mainstream," he said addressing a function on the occasion of Human Rights Day here.

Chidambaram wondered whether the rights of the indigenous people could be protected only by setting up anthropological museums. Asking the National Human Rights Commission, which organised the function, to explore new rights, the Home Minister said "We accept the rights of children but we have not fully explored the special rights of the girl child".

He said thousands of young girls are married off in the country even before they can speak of their rights. Chidambaram said the society has started accepting the sexual rights of individuals -- lesbians, gays, transsexual.

"They have rights too". The Home Minister said even small countries that have homogeneous population, speak one language, practice one faith and belong to one race and raise issues concerned to human rights.

"So, how a country as large and complex like India not face challenges of human rights every day," he said. (More) PTI PKU ACB.

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