Srinagar, July 7: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that the government was dedicated to serve the poor.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that inaugurating the National Tribal Festival at Srinagar, the LG welcomed the members of tribal community from different states and union territories to J&K.
“National Tribal Festival celebrates the rich tribal cultural heritage and traditions. It aims to provide an opportunity to tribal artisans, entrepreneurs to promote their unique handicrafts, textiles, artworks and traditional products,” he said.
Sinha reiterated the resolve of the J&K administration to fulfill the dreams of the poor, tribals and those who were deprived of their rights for decades.
“The J&K government is dedicated to serve the poor section of the society. It is providing land to landless citizens who were ignored in the past. They are eligible under PMAY (G) and will soon have their own houses. However, some influential people and their associates, who had grabbed State land, think that the poor section should not utilise the government resources,” he said.
The LG said that they should understand that such discriminatory system was abolished on August 5, 2019.
“Now we are marching ahead with one resolve and one aim that the poorest of the poor, dalits, OBCs, and tribal communities have the first right on the government resources,” he said.
Sinha said that as per the Tribal Affairs Department, 40,000 PMAY houses would be allocated to eligible tribal community families.
He said that the government record suggests that out of these, around 8000 were landless.
“They can’t be deprived merely because some people don’t want to see benefits reaching to underprivileged and tribals being empowered,” the LG said.
He lauded the significant contribution of the tribal community in strengthening the spirit of cultural integration, and conservation and protection of natural resources.
“The tribal community has laid a strong foundation for the country to prosper. For centuries, the community acted as a bridge connecting our cultural ethos and conserving our biodiversity. Their determined contribution to the development process is a source of inspiration for all of us,” Sinha said.
He also shared the efforts and initiatives of the government to empower the tribal youth and women and to give impetus to the socio-economic development of the tribal community.
“We understand dreams of tribal youth and are encouraging them every way possible so that they don’t fall behind anyone in the age of accelerated change. Efforts are being made to ensure that every benefit is available to them,” the LG said. “Today the doors of opportunity are opening up for the tribal community. It is the prime objective of the government to provide equal opportunities to youth and women of tribal communities, to ensure that economic and social justice reaches them and we make them partners in the system.”
He urged the people to buy the products made by the tribal community members.
“We will also direct the government departments to procure products made by tribal artisans,” Sinha said.
He appreciated the artists of the tribal community from different states for showcasing the rich tribal culture and heritage through dance and music performances.
On the occasion, the LG launched various initiatives of the Tribal Affairs Department including TRI Wool Web Portal and GIS Portal for Transhumance.
He also rolled out Law 20 Coaching Scheme for law students staying in tribal hostels.
Sinha inspected the stalls installed by the tribal artisans, and entrepreneurs and also handed over smart tools to the beneficiaries.
Secretary to the Government, Tribal Affairs Department, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary gave a detailed briefing on the initiatives taken by the administration for the welfare of the tribal community in J&K.
He thanked the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the support.
The Tribal Affairs Department in collaboration with the Jodhpur-based Central Wool Development Board is launching several schemes for the families involved in sheep farming.
Under the Law 20 Scheme, law students staying in tribal hostels would be provided free of cost coaching for prestigious exams by the renowned coaching institute of the country.
The GIS Portal will help in tracking of the migratory tribal population.
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Naval Jit Kapoor was also present on the occasion.
