Don’t grab tribal lands for Industry: ST Commission

--suggests ST Commission in State

BHUBANESWAR: “Most of the time we have seen the Government is targeting the tribal lands for industry which should be stopped,” said National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) chairman Dr Rameshwar Oraon while briefing the Press persons here on Thursday.

Expressing grave concern over the non-utilisation of funds provided under the tribal sub-plan for the welfare of the tribals in the State, Oraon said the Government should not misutilise or divert the fund comes under the sub-plan. Citing an example of proper utilisation of the fund, he suggested the State Government to implement Andhra Pradesh pattern of the utilisation of funds sanctioned under tribal sub plan.

Oraon said the policy for the reservation in the Government job for tribal people had also not been implemented properly and faithfully in the State. He also said the State Government had failed to implement the MGNREG scheme as a result the number of tribal beneficiaries under the scheme was reduced by 50 per cent in 2011-12 in comparison to 2010-11 for which huge migration is occurring in the tribal heartlands like Balangir and Koraput district in the State.   

The NCST chairman said that 36 per cent tribals are belonging to the BPL family category out of the total BPL beneficiaries of the State. The Government should give attention towards the development of the tribal peoples, he added.

The chairman emphasised on education of the tribals as the gap of literacy rate in between the tribals and others still high. He also suggested the Government to promote teaching through mother-tongue in the primary education to attract the tribal children.    

Oraon said he would urge the Chief Minister to constitute a State Commission for Scheduled Tribes to protect the interest of the tribal people that constitutes 23 per cent of the State’s total population.