Hyderabad: Welfare & development programmes in eight years help transform tribal lives

Hyderabad: A big transformation in the lives of tribals has taken place in the State as the government introduced a slew of welfare and development programmes in the last eight years. Training for tribals in ISB to develop them as entrepreneurs is a big success story.

Almost all tribal habitations are connected with roads, dwellers are getting potable drinking water. Educational institutions and healthcare facilities have improved a lot.

The upgradation of thandas as gram panchayats gave a big fillip to growth of tribal habitations in the State. The government has created ST development fund with Rs. 75,450 crore. So far Rs. 47,258 crore has been spent; 3,146 thandas and gudams have been given gram panchayat status to govern local bodies exclusively by tribals. Tractors, trolleys and tankers were provided to all gram panchayats. Forests, dumping yards, vaikunthadhamals were developed in tribal villages..

Free electricity for ST households and agriculture and special gurukulams for tribals helped improve their living standards. As man as 92 special gurukula vidyalayas for tribals , aiming to provide good education, yielded positive results. An amount of RS 292 crore was spent for buildings in gurukulas

As part tribal health protection measures, the government is implementing a special scheme, Giri Poshan, to prevent malnutrition among tribals. Anganwadi centres are providing nutritious food in 821 habitations .

For the first time in the country, the government is implementing CMST Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scheme with the aim of developing tribals as entrepreneurs. They are being provided free special training in the Indian Business School. It provides huge financial support for setting up industrial units. The scheme has benefited 162 ST entrepreneurs.

The driver empowerment programme has given employment to 1,424 tribal youth by providing vehicles at a cost of Rs.101.50 crore under the Rural Transport Scheme.

As part of the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme, 823,780 ST farmers have been given Rs. 7,354 crore as crop investment assistance. The government has provided free insurance facility to 493,720 ST farmers under the 'Rythu Bhima'. So far it has paid premium amount of Rs.611 crore.

Officials said 375,316 tribals received Asara pension of Rs. 4,286 crore. Under the 'Kalyana Lakshmi' scheme, 136,730 tribal girls have been given Rs. 1,126.61-crore assistance.