9 tribal districts get special development councils

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched the special development councils for nine tribal-dominated districts in the state.
Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur are the nine districts which will have the councils. In these districts tribals form around 50 per cent of the population. Odisha has 62 indigenous tribes.

"The councils have been formed with key objectives of conservation and propagation of tribal culture, recognition of indigenous knowledge, documentation of tribal culture, tradition and practices, identification of tribal resources, organizing exposure visit, promotion of tribal language and dialects besides area specific development interventions," said an official source.

The state government will provide Rs 1.5 crore as grant-in-aid to each block of the nine districts (total 117 blocks) which is over and above the funds allotted under different schemes.

"A total of Rs 175 crore will be spent per annum through these councils," said Naveen during the event's inauguration.

The chief minister also said the councils can spend the money for development of their place of worship and promotion of tribal sports and culture. The state government has already appointed tribal leaders as chairpersons of these councils. The chairpersons of these bodies will hold equivalent rank to that of minister of state. Besides, it will have a vice-chairperson and three members from among the tribal communities. The members of the councils will hold office for two years.

Collectors of the district would be the chief executive officer of the council. These councils will have its office in the respective district headquarters.

While each council will have an executive committee comprising district level officials, there will be a state level monitoring committee headed by the development commissioner of the state government to monitor activities of the council. "The councils will really help in preserving tribal culture, art and tradition. It was a historic decision of the state government. No other state has such a provision," said a tribal representative.

Present on the occasion were hundreds of tribals from across the state. They staged traditional dances in the presence of the chief minister and other delegates.