Special development councils for nine tribal districts formed

BHUBANESWAR:  In its continuing efforts to empower the marginalised and the underprivileged, the State Government on Friday formed special development councils (SDCs) for nine tribal dominated districts at a colourful function here. Launching the scheme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said these councils will create a new chapter in the preservation and promotion of tribal culture and tradition, heritage and unique identity of the tribal communities in tandem with their socio-economic development.

“The 62 tribal communities and 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups of the State are the pride of Odisha. Preservation of their unique cultural identity is the major objective of his Government,” Patnaik said. The State Government has initiated a number of development interventions for the tribals which have brought about significant improvement in the development indicators of may important sectors. Notwithstanding the positive development outcomes, it is felt necessary to give further impetus to involvement of tribal communities in development process to make it more inclusive and participative, he added.

Terming the formation of the SDCs as a historic step, the Chief Minister said these councils will have representation from every tribe. They will have decision making powers and financial resources to preserve, promote and develop their unique socio-cultural identities and economic capacities. Meanwhile, the Government has appointed chairmen for all the SDCs. The Chief Minister said each block of the nine districts will be provided a special assistance of `1.5 crore and a total of `175.50 crore will be spent per annum which will be over and above the funds sanctioned under existing schemes for tribal people.

Asserting that funds will not be a constraint for their development, the Chief Minister said the SDC will now make optimal utilisation of available resources for sustainable development as per their needs. Minister for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Ramesh Majhi said Odisha is the only State in the country where such councils have been for med fo r t h e t r i b a l development. Chief Secretary AP Padhi and Development Commissioner R Balakrishanan spoke about the objectives of the SDCs. Chairpersons and members of the nine SDCs and several ministers were present on the occasion. The districts where the SDCs have been set up are Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagad a , M a l k a n g i r i a n d Nabarangpur