All-round development of tribal class is the priority of Madhya Pradesh government

Bhopal: The state government has made several innovative efforts in a period of one year for the all-round development of the tribal community of the state and to give them full respect and rights. Pre-existing schemes and programmes were rapidly implemented in this period. Along with this, new schemes like Aahar Anudan, Madad, Ashthan were implemented. Departmental schemes were computerized. In order to demonstrate its commitment towards the interests of the tribal community, the state government declared the voluntary holiday of World Tribal Day on August 9 as a public holiday from this year.
Loans up to Rs one lakh given to people from Scheduled Tribes by Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation and other corporations have been waived. A total amount of Rs 45 crores has been waived.
Under the special nutritional food scheme launched to rid the families of state’s tribes Sahariya, Bharia and Baiga of malnutrition, an amount of Rs 1000 is being deposited every month in the account of the female head of each family. This year an amount of Rs 155 crores has been distributed to 2 lakh 21 thousand 519 women.
Community lunch on rituals like birth, death, etc. is traditionally considered to be mandatory in the tribal community. To provide financial assistance to tribal families in these works, MADAD scheme has been started in 89 tribal development blocks. Till now, an amount of Rs 30 crores has been made available for purchasing utensils in 12 thousand 245 villages of 89 tribal development blocks. Arrangements have also been made to provide 50 kg grains for birth celebration and 100 kg grains per family in the event of death from fair price shops.
A new Ashthan Yojana has been started for the preservation of the culture and places of worship of the tribals of the state.Provision has been made in the budget for construction and renovation of Devgudi, Midhaya and Devthan built in the places of the Kuldevta and village deities of tribal communities, construction of community buildings for the rest of the devotees visiting these places and arrangement of electricity in the auditorums, drinking water, bathrooms, etc. under the scheme. In the first phase this year, the work of conservation and expansion of religious centres like Hariyagarh in Chhindwara district, Chaugan in Mandla district, Karvematta and Ramepur in Dindori district, Narainala in Jabalpur district, Barahdev in Jhabua district and Bhanwargarh (Tantya Bhil) in Barwani district etc.. This step of the state government has also received good response from the tribal communities.
The Tribal Welfare Department has received 3159 new claims under the Forest Rights Act from December 2018 to 30 November, 2019. This year 8683 claims have been resolved, including pending cases. 5905 claims are valid and 2778 claims are invalid. In the last 11 months, 1738 Forest Rights letters have been distributed. To make the process of the Act transparent and revisit the revoked claims, M.P. Van Mitra portal has been prepared. So far claims of 24 thousand 509 claimants have been registered in the portal.
The state government has simplified the process of scholarship of students of tribal communities. Now the scholarship amount is being transferred to the students’ accounts within a few minutes. Through the pre-matric and post-matric scholarship of the department, the children of tribal class are getting better opportunities to study. A scholarship of Rs 333 crore was distributed to about 19 lakh 60 thousand students. This year 7 students were given foreign study scholarship of Rs 82 lakh. Coaching is being imparted to 800 tribal students for the preparation of JEE, NEET and CLAT entrance exams. The state government is spending an amount of Rs 14 crore 50 lakhs on this. There is a provision of more than Rs 60 crores for the operation of 82 girl education campuses for the education and literacy enhancement of tribal girls.
Under the tribal and scheduled caste teaching cadre, 53 thousand 235 teachers have been merged in regular cadre. Service conditions have been issued to these teachers to provide facilities like regular employees. Recruitments are being made of around 8000 vacant posts of higher secondary and secondary teachers in tribal schools.
In the last one year, 9 girls education campuses and 4 Gurukulam residential schools have been upgraded to Eklavya and 13 new Eklavya schools have been opened. An amount of more than Rs 13 crores has been sanctioned to build advanced auditoriums in 12 Eklavya residential schools in the state. Construction of five girls education complex has been completed. An amount of Rs 118 crores was released for construction of new buildings and construction of additional rooms in 36 schools of Tribal Welfare Department. Approval has been obtained for construction of 100-seater hostel buildings each in four divisions. 43 girls and boys hostel buildings of the department are being constructed with an amount of Rs 91 crore 65 lakhs. The stipend amount of students residing in hostels has also been increased. An amount of Rs.13.75 crore has been transferred through DBT to the account of about 95 thousand students living in the hostel. This year more than 62 thousand such college tribal students were given housing assistance of about Rs 72 crores.
An amount of Rs 34 crore 50 lakh has been sanctioned for construction of 3 division level community buildings, 10 district level community buildings and 37 block level community buildings in 15 districts inhabited by special backward tribes Bharia, Sahariya and Baiga. This year an amount of Rs 510 crores has been approved for the construction of Gurukulam Schools, Ashram Shalas, hostel buildings and Higher Secondary School buildings. Rs 40 crore has also been allocated for the renovation of buildings of departmental educational and residential institutions. Rs 57 crore 46 lakh is being spent on the construction of a large hostel building with 500 seat capacity including 250 girls and 250 boys per division at the divisional headquarters of Gwalior, Indore and Jabalpur.
A cultural centre building is being constructed at Bhopal with an amount of Rs 18.50 crores for the establishment of tribal development and cultural centers of special backward tribes Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya. Computer training centers are being set up in special backward tribes dominated Chhindwara, Shahdol, Shivpuri and Mandla districts.
Computerization is being done to provide benefits of the schemes to tribal beneficiaries online. Information is being given about the schemes from the mobile app. Now, in addition to the mobile app, beneficiaries are also able to apply from the MPTAAS portal.
The state government has taken several important decisions in the interest of the Denotifed, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic tribes. In the last one year an amount of Rs 17.50 crore has been spent on the development of these tribes.