Jammu, Feb8 :
Advisor to Governor Khurshid Ahmed Ganai today directed the Tribal Affairs department to chalk out comprehensive strategies for effective implementation of welfare programmes and schemes meant for socio-economic emancipation of Tribal community in the state. The Advisor impressed upon the officers for promotion of need based integrated livelihood initiatives and skill up-gradation of tribals to enable them get respectable jobs in various sectors like diversified crops, horticulture, dairy development besides others with proper market linkages and financing. The Advisor said this while chairing a review meeting of Tribal Affairs department. To maximize the enrolment of tribal children, the Advisor stressed for construction schools and hostel buildings especially for girls and holding innovative IEC activities to sensitize the people in the tribal areas. Secretary Tribal Affairs Department, Abdul Majid Bhat; Director Tribal Affairs Department, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad; Special Secretary Tribal Affairs, Mohammad Shareef; Secretary Gujjar Advisory Board Mukhtar Ahmad Choudhary; Director Finance, Tribal Affairs and other officers of concerned departments were present in the meeting. The Advisor said that liberal funding is being provided to the department of Tribal Affairs to fill up critical gaps to ensure holistic development of the Scheduled Tribes besides upliftment of down trodden sections among them. He asked the Secretary and Director to chalk out a comprehensive plan envisaging availability of all necessary services so that these marginalized segments of the society are brought under the ambit of various state and centrally sponsored schemes for their socio-economic empowerment. He asked the Tribal Department to encourage educated tribal youth to inform and create awareness among the tribal population about the various schemes being initiated by the government for their welfare and raising their living standards. The Advisor directed for renovation and up-gradation of basic facilities being provided to the boarders in various hostels of the state besides special attention with regards to quality of education being made available for the students at these hostels. The Advisor asked the concerned to work tirelessly to provide better basic amenities to tribal people adding that several reformative measures should be initiated in this regard for effective implementation of welfare schemes launched by the government for the community. The Advisor asked Director Tribal Affairs to personally pay field visits for speedy execution of tribal development projects. Underlining the effective execution of development works, the Advisor asked the Tribal Department to constitute a District Level committee headed by respective Deputy Commissioner to ensure tangible results. He also asked the concerned to involve the Panchayats with substantial tribal population in formulation of the plans meant for the development of the Tribal Community areas.
He said their involvement would help in timely completion of the entire project.
Reviewing the status of construction work of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), the meeting was informed that works on EMRS at Anantnag & Kulgam have been completed. For the year 2018-19, 03 new EMRS at Gurez, Kotranka and Leh have been sanctioned by central government at the cost of Rs. 1600.00 Lakhs.
The meeting also discussed Post and Pre-Matric Scholarships for the students of tribal community including Gaddis and Sippis.
The Advisor further asked the Tribal Department to submit a proposal for enhancing the parents annual income slab for the scholarships to all the scheduled tribes.
