BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of a ‘Tribal Haat’ at Adivasi Ground here on Wednesday.  The project is aimed at providing tribals with an integrated platform to showcase their art, craft and organic products. The facility will also function as an interpretation centre.

Officials of SC and ST Development department said the haat will be of international standards and have air-conditioned pavilions for handicrafts made up of metal, stone and cane besides textile and transit, terracotta, pottery and an amphitheatre. The facility will also have a ticket counter for visiting the interpretation centre.

The CM also inaugurated the State level annual students’ festival ‘Sargiful-2018’. Sargiful, which has reached its ninth year, is organised to recognise hidden talents among SC and ST students in diverse spheres like painting, photography, music, creative writing through completions. Around 1,000 students will participate in the three-day event.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen advised children to study hard and inspire others. The State Government has constructed hostels for over six lakh children belonging to SC and ST communities to help them pursue their studies, he said.

“Odisha is the only State in the country which provides maximum reservation facilities to SC and ST students from its own resources. The Government has also facilitated the education of these children in private English medium schools,” the CM said. The State Government has introduced programmes like ‘Akanksha’ for higher education of  SC and ST students and Rs 1,000 crore has been provided so far towards pre and post-matric scholarships to over 19 lakh students, he said.

Naveen announced that the State Government has decided to construct 102 hostels for OBC and SEBC students and 40 hostels for students belonging to minority communities. Currently, there are 4,300 residential schools and 6,300 hostels functioning in the State for SC and ST students, he added.