In a bid to woo the tribal voters Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced to open a BEd training college for tribal students at Baripada in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. The college would impart educational training in Ol-Chiki Santhali language.
Addressing the gathering at Baripada Chhau field the CM said the State Government would soon open a BEd training centre, which would train the tribal students. “The spread of education among the weaker sections of our society is vital as education is a prime requisite for socio-economic development. The policy to promote educational interests among the tribals has been our area of focus,” he said.
Naveen declared that the tribal youths would be trained free of cost under various self-employment schemes to make them self-reliant and they would be allowed to appear entrance tests free of cost. “The Government has decided to provide rice Rs 2-a-kg to the schools for the Mid Day Meal (MDM) across the state and cycles to all BPL boys studying in Class-X,” he said.
The Chief Minister highlighted about various schemes undertaken by the State Government for the welfare of tribals for strengthening their economic condition. He reiterated that the Government had been extensively working on upgrading the sectors like health, irrigation, education, communication, electrification and drinking water in the State.
“We have introduced tremendous welfare schemes like Mamata, Madhubabu Pension Yojana, electrification under Biju Jyoti Yojana, Mo Kudia and rice at Rs 2-a-kg for the poor and downtrodden. While the student dropout ratio has remarkably reduced, the children of the tribal communities and backward sections are given more opportunities,” he told.
The BJD Supremo besides informing that all the villages would be connected with concrete roads within next couple of years said at least 2,000 hostels for tribal students had been completed and the work for 600 more would start soon. Tribal employability must be increased for which the Government has undertaken various measures, he said.
“I have promised to give special attention for the development of backward class and tribals of the State. I ensure all landless poor and tribal families must get a piece of land within next five years,” he added.
Chief whip of State Legislative Assembly Sanjay Das Burma said the government was preparing a plan for a drinking water project in Baripada and to provide additional funds for the completion of Subarnarekha Irrigation Project (SIP).
Minister for Textile, Handloom and Handicrafts Sarojini Hembram said there was plan to open a spinning centre in the district and increase the production of Tasar craft center at Bangriposhi. Stating that a number of industries are lying defunct, Moroda MLA Pravin Chandra Bhanjdeo urged the CM to take measures for industrial growth in the district.
Among the others Lok Sabha MP Laxman Tudu, Deputy Speaker Sananda Marandi, Karanjia MLA Bijay Kumar Naik, BYJD Balasore district president Jajati Das, Udala MLA Srinath Soren, Saraskana MLA Ramachandra Hansda and BJD State executive member Raghunath Mohanty accompanied the CM.
The CM distributed SHG revolving funds, tricycles, land passbooks, walk sticks, stipend, tractor and power-tillers, pump-sets to beneficiaries under various government schemes.
He laid the foundation stone of Sabai Craft Production and Sell Centre building at Baripada and Maternity and Child Health Complex at Baripada district headquarters hospital to be built at a coast of Rs 15 Crore.
Naveen attended at least five programmes in the district and inaugurated Jamda and Bijatala tehsil buildings, a police station in Jamda and laid the foundation stone of a bridge over Budhabalanga river on Galamundakata-Kanchhinda road before leaving for Bhubaneswar.