Rs 1,656 crore released by Centre for tribal development in Odisha: Dharmendra Pradhan

Around 6.36 lakh and 5.54 lakh ST students have benefitted under the pre-matric and post-matric scholarship scheme, he added.
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan (Photo | EPS)
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan (Photo | EPS)

BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said financial assistance of Rs 1,656.8 crore has been released by the Central Government to Odisha in the last three years for empowerment of tribals and other vulnerable communities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working relentlessly for the inclusive growth of the tribal communities and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda lent his support to the State Government to realise the full potential of the tribal communities.

In a series of tweets, Pradhan said, "More than Rs 1656.8 crore has been released by PM Shri @narendramodi’s govt. in the last three years for empowering the STs and other vulnerable communities in Odisha."

In the last three years, more than 3.37 lakh beneficiaries from the Scheduled Tribes in Odisha benefitted from the scheme of grant-in-aid to voluntary organisations working for the welfare of STs while several thousands benefited under other schemes for tribals.

More than 16,700 students from the vulnerable sections of the State have been enrolled in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) during the same period. Around 6.36 lakh and 5.54 lakh ST students have benefitted under the pre-matric and post-matric scholarship scheme, he added.

"Establishing premiere residential schools to provide quality education to STs and other tribes, especially in the remote and Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas of Odisha, the Eklavya Model Residential Schools has been a game changer in strengthening education in low literacy districts of the state," Pradhan said.

The Union Minister said the Central Government under the leadership of Modi is committed to provide equal opportunities to the poor and the disadvantaged, aid their all-round development and enable them to become an important pillar of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

He thanked the Prime Minister and Tribal Affairs Minister for working relentlessly to create an ecosystem to enable the tribal population, especially in Odisha to realise their full potential and to ensure their inclusive growth, development and prosperity.

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