CM distributes titles for forest land to 11,000 tribal in central Gujarat(video)

Ahmedabad, 24 December 2013

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today announced that tribal people holding forest land titles would be entitled to all government facilities for them. He said that the present government has accorded priority to welfare of the tribal for the last 12 years.

He was speaking at a largely attended function to distribute forest land titles to over 11,000 tribal people, who had assembled from 10 tribal dominated districts in central and north Gujarat, at Jhalod in Dahod district.

Mr. Modi said the present government has so far distributed land titles to 63,000 tribal people from 15 districts worth Rs.2,275-crore. It was after verifying 23,000 new claims. This totals up to 110,000 beneficiaries entitled to 10-lakh acres of forest land worth about Rs.3,000-crore. He said the real benefit of this scheme would be realized over a period of time, and yet the critics of Gujarat are bent on maligning the incumbent.

He said that his government has undertaken the task of empowering tribal living in the eastern belt of Gujarat extending from Ambaji to Umargaon. He pointed out that it is the BJP governments in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan that got an opportunity to serve 40 per cent of the country’s tribal population. In a sort of role reversal, he said, the Congress party which used to consider itself the savior of tribal, dalit, poor and minority people has been rejected by the latter, but only after realizing how they had been taken for a ride after being exploited as vote banks.

Referring to the Rs.15,000-crore ‘Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojna’ for the welfare of the tribal, Mr. Modi said, the State Government has decided to open Coaching Centres for Medical Tests in every tribal taluka. The government has undertaken a number of steps like starting Engineering College, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Science Stream Schools, Nursing and Physiotherapy Colleges and Agro-Polytechnics in different tribal talukas.

The Rs. 4,000-Crores irrigation project, a part of Rs 40,000 crore’s Vanbandhu Yojna, is undertaken by the state government. In last one decade we have given electricity connection to over 92,000 wells, compared to electricity connection given only to 20,000 wells in previous 40 years.

The Congress had simply ignored the martyrdoms and bravery shown by the tribal community in freedom fight against British. But, the present government had honoured the contribution of tribal community by installing martyrs’ monuments at Mangadh and Palchitriya of Sabarkantha district, Mr Modi said and added that it was Atal Bihari Vajapayee government which had made a separate ministry for the welfare of the tribal community.

Mr Modi said, the water reservoirs and hilly landscape of the tribal belt spread between Ambaji-Umargoan could be developed as the tourism spots and economic hubs, but the previous governments were lacking this vision. But, his government has developed this eastern belt as the natural tourist spots, thus, a new path was open-up for generating employments for the tribals.

The Vanbandhu Yojna has achieved a huge success in uplifting economical growth of the tribals through farming and animal-husbandry. And the tribals are being encouraged for opting for organic farmings, he added.

Others who spokes on the occasion included, education minister Mr Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, Tribal Development and Forest Minister Mr Ganpatsinh Vasava, Gujarat Assembly’s Deputy speaker Mr Mangubhai Patel, Tribal Welfare minister of state Mr Jashvantsinh Bhabhore and Principal secretary of tribal welfare Mr Arvind Agarwal.

The function was attended by Ministers Parbatbhai Patel, Liladharbhai Vaghela, Jaidrathsinh Parmar among others, members of parliament, former ministers, former MPs, MLAs, chairmen of corporations, and guardian secretary of the district Mr Bhagyesh Jha, district collector Mr D A Satya, high rank police officials and others.