New tribal scheme to cover 14.5 lakh households in Odisha
An additional Rs 1,000 per child per annum will be spent to ensure proper nutrition for nearly six lakh ST and SC boarders residing in more than 5,500 hostels.
Published: 11th March 2023 07:24 AM | Last Updated: 11th March 2023 07:24 AM | A+A A-
Image for representational purpose only.
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government will implement an exclusive tribal livelihood promotion initiative called ‘Mukhyamantri Janajati Jeebika Mission’ in 2023-24 which will cover 14.5 lakh households in the state in a phased manner.
In a post-budget briefing on Friday, ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare minister Jagannath Saraka said the government in the first phase will cover around 1.5 lakh households through a cluster approach at a cost of around Rs 500 crore. An additional Rs 1,000 per child per annum will be spent to ensure proper nutrition for nearly six lakh ST and SC boarders residing in more than 5,500 hostels.
To ensure qualitative education for ST and SC students and provide the pre-matric, post-matric scholarship and Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chatra Protsahan Yojana, an outlay of Rs 811 crore has been earmarked. The fund will be utilised for disbursement of scholarships to more than 23 lakh students of which 60 per cent are girls, the minister said.
The total budget outlay of the department for the year 2023-24 is Rs 4,651.27 crore. Secretary Roopa Roshan Sahoo said all dedicated high schools under the department will be developed as smart learning centres and dedicated by December 2023. Under the initiative, coding, tinkering and ICT Labs will be established in all the schools.
Besides, 23 exclusive 100-bed hostels have been taken up for the minority communities, while 100 multi-purpose community centres will be built to preserve their cultural heritage. Work on 100 minority educational institutions have also been taken up on priority basis, Sahoo said.
