2 min readAhmedabadMay 9, 2016 04:40 AM IST
First published on: May 9, 2016 at 04:40 AM IST
Suggesting policy intervention by administration for the development of tribals, RSS-affiliate Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram on Sunday released its vision document for tribal welfare in Ahmedabad.
The function was attended by Gujarat Minister of Tribal Development Mangubhai Patel, who claimed the government’s move to provide easy loans and special coaching classes for competitive exams have helped tribal youths.
“As many as 140 tribal youths have been given Rs 15 lakh as easy loan by government. There are four women and 15 men (among them) who have become pilots. Last year, 558 tribal youths made it to GUJCET (a combined test for entrance to medical and engineering colleges) because of special coaching classes for tribals started by the government,” he said.
He also said intervention by the BJP-led Gujarat government has stopped tribals from conversion. The minister said Christian missionaries were “carrying out religious conversion” several years ago because of poverty in the region but that has stopped now.
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“In Dangs, they distributed sugar and wheat as a lure to convert poor tribal people to Christianity, (but) we led a revolution and today we can say for sure that conversion has stopped because of government’s intervention,” Patel was quoted as saying by PTI.
Releasing the vision document in Ahmedabad after it was unveiled in New Delhi on March 21, Bhagwan Sahay, in-charge of the outfit in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said, “The vision document is divided into two parts — governance and administration; and the social and economic sector. It is an attempt to reflect the challenges faced by over 12 crore tribal population in the country. These can be overcome leading to social harmony only if we are sensitive towards these challenges.”
Similarly, Harsh Chauhan of Janjati Suraksha Manch from Indore, put stressed on an urgent need for a “National Tribal Niti”. “Perhaps this vision document is the beginning towards this,” he added.
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