BHUBANESWAR: Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla on Friday called for an an inclusive system of governance for the development of all classes of people. Inaugurating the national conference of chairpersons of Committees on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Parliament and state assemblies here, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, "To take the country forward, we have to take people from all walks of life together."
Stating that everybody should get justice and equal rights, Birla said there is need for a review of the budget allocations for SCs and STs. "It is necessary to think about which schemes will benefit the tribals and dalits," he added.
Addressing the conference, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that the upliftment of the SCs and STs is necessary for the all-around development of the country. Stating that tribals and dalits constitute 40 per cent of Odisha's population, the chief minister said that the state government has increased the budget for the SC, ST welfare department to Rs 68,881 crore in 2025-26.
Stating that the Odisha government has initiated several programmes for the development of SCs and STs in the state, the chief minister said three lakh Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTGs) from 14 districts of the state have been included in PM Janman scheme. He said that the government has planned several projects for the development of the tribals and added that a processing unit for forest products will be set up in the state soon.
The chief minister said that 15 Ekalavya schools have been set up by the government in which five lakh students are studying while staying in hostels. Besides, the government has also decided to start teaching in all tribal languages.
The two-day national seminar will deliberate on strengthening constitutional safeguards for the tribals. Besides, it will also highlight the pivotal role of parliamentary and state legislature committees in ensuring accountability in the implementation of welfare policies with the vision of realising an inclusive Viksit Bharat by 2047.