HP to spend Rs 31 crore on development of tribal communities

Shimla, Sep 5 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said his government has earmarked Rs 31.50 crore for the development of the stat in the current financial year.

Presiding over the meeting of Gujjar Welfare Board here, Mr Singh said new scheme envisioned for the concerted development of tribal communities inhabiting non-tribal areas was based on the analogy of the Scheduled Caste Special Component Plan.

Accordingly, it earmarked 1.5 per cent of the Annual Plan for the development of such areas and basic amenities like road, drinking water, health, improved power supply were made available to the targeted population.

Mr Singh said the State Government had identified 700 villages with concentrated tribal population in the non-tribal areas, he added that the State Government had invited developmental proposals of such areas from Deputy Commissioners which would be implemented for the benefit of the tribal communities.

Mr Singh said the State Government has decided to open the District level Tribal Development Office at Dharamsala and Chamba, where tribal population concentration was in majority and would benefit the communities in availing various facilities and incentives under Tribal Development Programmes.

He said in rest of the districts, District Planning Officers would be the designated officers to oversee the implementation of all the tribal development policies and programmes where the tribal population was less.

Mr Singh said tribal districts of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Bharmour Sub Division already had the tribal development departments.

The Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the increasing literacy amongst the tribal population as a result of various policies and programmes aimed at educational upliftment of the tribals.

He said the State Government was providing free educational aids, text books upto matric standard besides pre, post matric scholarships under Thakur Sain Negi Scholarship, Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for M Phil/PhD students and also pre- examination coaching facilities to the aspirants of various competitive examinations.

Mr Singh said that concerted efforts were being made to enhance the educational standards of Gujjar community by pressing into service 25 mobile schools which were catering to the educational needs of over 500 children of the community.

The educated unemployed youth of the community had been assigned the teaching work, he added.

UNI