Govt committed to overall development of tribal population: Lt Governor

Jammu, Nov 24: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Wednesday inaugurated the closing ceremony of ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ here at the General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, University of Jammu.
A two-day Literary cum Cultural Tribal festival is being organized to mark the culmination of the celebrations of Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary. The festival will showcase the rich heritage, culture, art, craft, cuisine, and herbal medicines of tribal communities of Jammu & Kashmir.
Addressing the gathering, the Lt Governor reiterated the Government’s commitment for ensuring the overall development of J&K tribal population.
“The UT administration has taken several initiatives to ensure livelihood support and empowerment of Tribals. New transit accommodations, Tribal health scheme, and Smart schools will certainly improve the quality of life”, he remarked.
The Lt Governor observed that the tribal-centric reforms and policies that the government is implementing on the ground for the socio-economic development of the tribal community will fulfill the dreams of this community, while keeping their unique culture, languages and traditions alive.
“Culture not only enriches individual’s life but also strengthens community. It is the need of the hour to preserve and promote rich tribal cultural heritage”, he added.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor announced that the state helicopter will be deployed for the tribal population during medical emergencies. ‘This will help in timely diagnosis and treatment for the needy patients’, he added.
While highlighting the reforms introduced by the government for the welfare and interest of the Tribal community, the Lt Governor said that comprehensive strategy has been developed for modernizing the requisite infrastructure and providing public services in tribal dominated areas.
Under the guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the J&K Government is working relentlessly to usher in a new dawn of social equality by implementing the rights of this deprived section guaranteed by the Constitution and the Parliament of the country, he added.
The Lt Governor noted that through several interventions like Tribal Tourist Villages, clusters of Tribal Self Help Groups, Tribal model and milk villages, promoting Minor forest products and more such programs of Mission Youth, the UT Government is paving a strong foundation for progress and growth of the present and the future generations of the Tribal community by connecting them with the mainstream of development.
To provide institutional support to all scholars and thinkers working on tribal culture and civilization, Tribal Research Institute is being set up in the UT, he added.
The Lt Governor said that the government is establishing Transit Accommodation at 8 different places costing Rs 28 crore, for the convenience of the tribal population during their seasonal migration.
The Lt Governor also informed that more than 4,500 tribal community youth have been made entrepreneurs through mini sheep farms and dairy units within three months, exceeding the target of 3,000.
Farooq Khan, Advisor to Lt Governor, in his address, termed the occasion as one of its kind which brought together all the tribal communities on a single platform. He congratulated the Tribal Affairs Department for working day and night for implementation of schemes and policies on the ground.
Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, while speaking on the occasion, highlighted the ground-breaking decisions taken by the government for the welfare of the tribal communities. The UT administration will ensure that every facility including education, health, sports, banking, skill development reaches the tribal population across J&K, he added.
Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Administrative Secretary, Tribal Affairs Department delivered the welcome address and gave a detailed overview of the various activities organized to mark the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’.
A documentary – “An introduction to Tribal groups of J&K” and Tribal music & dance performances were the main highlights of the occasion.
Prof. Manoj Kumar Dhar, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu; Anshul Garg, Deputy Commissioner Jammu; PRI representatives; Javaid Rahi, writer and Tribal Research scholar; senior officers and a large number of Tribal community members attended the ceremony.