Coalition Govt Committed to Tribal Dignity, Development: Sandhya Rani
Minister Sandhya Rani highlights education, healthcare, jobs and livelihood initiatives
Vijayawada: The coalition government is committed to protecting the dignity and promoting the welfare and development of tribal communities, tribal welfare minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani said on Sunday.
Addressing a World Tribal Day programme organised by the Tribal Welfare Department at Dr B.R. Ambedkar Kala Vedika in Vijayawada, Sandhya Rani said the government was treating the occasion as a festival while implementing measures for tribal advancement.
She said Best Available Schools and Colleges of Excellence were being established to provide quality education and accommodation to tribal students. Nearly two lakh students were receiving free education through hostels, while the Mega DSC had created employment opportunities for tribal youth.
The government had also revived 18 tribal welfare schemes scrapped by the previous government and was strengthening Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs), she said.
Roads, drinking water and healthcare infrastructure were being developed in tribal areas with support from the Centre and the state government. Feeder ambulances, road connectivity and accommodation for pregnant women were being provided to address the doli transportation problem, she said.
Efforts were also under way to secure global recognition for Araku coffee and tribal arts and culture.
Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) said the Thimsa tribal dance had earned international recognition through a Guinness World Record. He stressed that development of tribal areas was essential to achieving “Golden Andhra Pradesh”.
Vijayawada MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao said tribal students were being provided residential education, quality food, skill training and coaching for IAS, Group-I and DSC examinations. Mobile hospitals, two-wheeler ambulances, road connectivity and free ration were also being provided, he said.
Coffee cultivation would be expanded to one lakh acres to boost tribal incomes, he added.
Tribal welfare secretary M. Mallikarjuna Naik said Rs 1,353 crore had been allocated for tribal education, benefiting 1.63 lakh students. The Mega DSC had resulted in the appointment of 1,916 teachers, while free civil services coaching and skill training were being provided to tribal youth.
The government planned to expand coffee cultivation to one lakh acres over five years and establish turmeric and rubber hubs, he said. The 1/70 Act was also being strictly enforced to protect tribal rights.
