Indian Tribal News Service
New Delhi
Countering the Opposition’s questions over his Ministry’s functioning, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the UPA and Congress Governments were in power for a long time but did only lip service to the tribals’ cause, giving an opportunity to the Modi dispensation to work for the tribals.
“Roads were constructed in Ladakh or Arunachal Pradesh because there were no roads there. The tribals are being provided basic amenities everywhere,” he said and asked, “Who displaced the tribals?” The Congress Governments had talked sweetly with the tribals but did nothing to show respect to their life, he alleged.
The Modi Government had taken steps to end historical injustice to the tribal population in the country and initiated schemes after appreciating their problems and issues, he said while replying to a debate on the working of the Tribal Affairs Ministry in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
He also refuted that there was a decline in the Ministry’s yearly Budget. The budgetary allocations had gone up every year, along with expenditure, he said.
“It was true that for a year, Covid had affected expenditure by States and therefore allocations for them had to be reduced as per rules. But there is no change in the Government’s intent to address issues of development for the tribal population,” he said
A few days ago, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment had expressed its displeasure over the functioning of the Ministry including its declining budget.
Maintaining that the Government is making efforts to ensure that national progress reflects in the tribal areas also, Munda said all Ministries have started schemes for them and his Ministry was trying to ensure coordination. Eklayva schools will be modified on the lines of central government-run Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas
For economic transformation of the tribals, he said the Government had announced Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 87 jungle produce. Wherever silk is produced, whether in Jharkhand or Assam, the tribals were being trained in value addition.
Earlier, he said the tribals’ problems were studied and policies made, but no work was done. A small department for tribals was converted into a full-fledged Ministry by the Vajpayee Government, he added.
To address the tribals’ health issues, a telemedicine scheme was started along with a portal. Data is being collected and ICMR and the Health Ministry are involved in addressing the tribals’ peculiar health problems. Aspirational districts are being identified for 4G connectivity, he maintained.
Law and Justice Minister Kiran Rijiju said P A Sangma was the first Tribal Cabinet Minister after Independence. Today, there are three tribal Cabinet and five tribal Ministers of State in the Union Government. This sends a big message to the country, he said.
“The tribal population comprised eight percent of the country’s population but was not treated as part of the mainstream. The tribals had small issues but were denied a hearing under earlier Governments, which led to discontent in their areas,” he said.
Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that while individual forest rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006 have been given at a large scale, making the Act a success in this aspect, community forest rights have not been given at the same scale, especially in States like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. He asked Munda to look into the matter.
CPI MP Binoy Viswam asked why was father Stan Swamy tortured to death in a prison cell? “(Because) He fought for the rights of the tribals. He raised the voice for their ‘Jal, Jameen, Jangal’. They (BJP) don’t like it. So they killed him. At this moment I proudly bow my head before his memory.”
He also said the government acts in the interests of FDI (foreign direct investments), particularly in the field of mining, in lands that belong to tribal communities in states like Jharkhand and Odisha.
