Govt working for holistic development
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 26: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today conferred the first-ever UT level Tribal Awards at SKICC, Srinagar and felicitated individuals and institutions for their exemplary services to tribal welfare and achievements in the field of sports, education, culture, literature and Science & Technology.
“Extremely proud to have participated in the first-ever UT level Tribal Awards Ceremony. This initiative to acknowledge the achievements and services of the community will encourage many more to work for the welfare of others,” Sinha said.
Highlighting the measures taken by the Government for the welfare of the tribal community of J&K, he said, UT Government is working tirelessly for the holistic development of tribal communities, promoting entrepreneurship amongst tribal youth and women, tribal schools being transformed, village development, tourism and Van Dhan being implemented for their empowerment.
The Lt Governor announced that 500 tribal youths will be trained under the Financial Literacy Programme proposed by Bombay Stock Exchange and Punjab National Bank.
For the sustainable livelihood of the youth, the administration has set up mini sheep farms in the tribal areas. “Efforts are being made to link the tribal youth with the dairy sector, besides programmes of skill development and vocational training has been launched to bring a large population into the mainstream economy”, he said.
Sinha said, after many years of wait, the Forest Rights Act was implemented by the Government last year. “The UT administration is setting up 100 Van Dhan Kendras in Jammu and Kashmir for sustainable livelihood of the tribal families,” he added.
The Government is also starting 1500 Van Dhan Self Help Groups to make women of the tribal community financially independent and empowered, he further added.
On this historic occasion, MoUs were signed between Tribal Affairs Department and IIT Jammu and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Rajouri for establishing Tribal Chair in both the institutes.
Sinha termed the establishment of Tribal Chairs a milestone in academic research and preserving the cultural heritage of the tribal community. ‘It will bridge the gap in research, institutional support. The collaboration will work towards preservation of rare books, language styles, socio-cultural heritage and most importantly, the documented history can be digitized’, he added.
He said Tribal Research Institute in J&K is preserving tribal cultural heritage, felicitating outstanding achievers from tribal communities, identifying problems related to tribals, pursuing research activities for capacity building to fully realize their potential.
Guided by the high ideals of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’ of the Prime Minister, the UT administration is not only proudly appreciating the indispensable contribution of tribal society but also steadfastly moving towards establishing a new social order based on social equity and social harmony in the Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Lt Governor observed.
“We have evolved an effective and comprehensive strategy, being executed at grassroots level for enhancing income of tribal families and providing life-fulfilling opportunities to youth, best possible medical care facilities and bringing each family under social security net,” he said.
Terming education as the most potent tool for the progress of tribal communities, Sinha said budget for scholarship has been increased to Rs 45 crore from the last year’s Rs. 31 crore.
Lauding the efforts of the officials of the Tribal Affairs Department of the UT, the Lt Governor called upon the department to focus on convergence of all available welfare schemes so that maximum benefits are percolated at the grassroots level.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, termed the occasion as a significant beginning to the new era for the development of Tribal community. The initiatives launched today were part of our endeavor to connect the tribal population with the mainstream of development, he added.
Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary to the Government, Tribal Affairs Department, highlighted various initiatives taken to empower the tribal community of Jammu & Kashmir.
The event also witnessed the inauguration and launch of various initiatives for the welfare of the tribal community including First edition of TRI Newsletter, Web-Portal of Tribal Research Institute, Tribal Helpline, State-of-the-Art Computer Lab, Skill Development Programme for tribal Vulnerable Groups, Tele-Consultation facility for migratory tribal population, smart survey app for nomadic tribal communities, and a book titled ‘Khanabadosh’.
Later, the Lt Governor flagged off 41 Ambulances for different cluster tribal villages.
Prof. Akbar Masood, Vice-Chancellor BGSBU; Deputy Commissioners from various Districts; PRI members; prominent citizens and members of Tribal Community in large numbers were present on the occasion.
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