DHENKANAL: The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has decided to open additional 652 Ekalabya Residential Model schools for tribal children in different States across the country, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said on Monday. Speaking to media persons at a rural media workshop after inaugurating a multi-photo exhibition at Gadajat Bhawan in Kamakshyanagar on Monday, Oram said the Ekalabya Model Residential schools will be opened in places having more than 20,000 tribal population. “The Central Government has taken a decision to open such schools in every block,” he said and added that each State has been given `500 crore for welfare of the tribals.
At present, 192 such schools are functioning in the country and the expenditure on each tribal student has been enhanced from `41,000 to `61,000 per annum, the Union Minister said. Oram said 62 tribes out of 705 in the country reside in Odisha and the Centre has been working to give a fair price to the tribals for their produce. As many as 75 products made by tribals have been included in ‘Banya Bandhu Kalyan Yojana’.
He claimed that when he was Union minister in 1999 during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Government, funds earmarked for tribals’ development was `800 crore and the same has been enhanced to `6,000 crore during the current NDA regime. Oram slammed the State Government for failing to utilise the funds sanctioned by the Centre for tribals’ welfare. “An amount of `2,000 crore has been disbursed by the Centre to Odisha in the last four years but lack of political will has emerged as a road block for upliftment of tribals in the State,” he said.
Replying to a question, the Minister said there is no possibility of BJP and BJD forming a coalition in Odisha in next election. “BJP will win at the Centre as well as in Odisha,” he added. Additional Director General of PIB, which organised the workshop, Ranjana Debsharma said the purpose of the workshop was to inform media persons about the achievements of the NDA Government. PIB Deputy Director Badrinarayan Adhikari, PIB Communication and Media Officer Priyanath Chowdhury and IIMC Regional Director Mrinal Chatterji also spoke.