CM Yogi inaugurates Tribal Participation Festival to the beat of drums

News Topical, Digital Desk : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Dharti Aba Birsa Munda was a supporter of India's independence. He campaigned for this, leading to his arrest by the then British government. He breathed his last in a Ranchi jail at the age of just 25. He gave the tribal community the slogan "Our country, our rule." If the country is ours, then the rule should also be ours; foreign rule should not rule India. Paying tribute to Dharti Aba, PM Modi inspired the celebration of November 15th as Tribal Day. 

Chief Minister Yogi inaugurated the Tribal Participation Festival on Thursday at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan to the beat of drums. The Chief Minister visited the exhibition there and garlanded the statue of Birsa Munda. Tribal artists from host states like Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, etc. also performed. Chief Minister Yogi described this year's specialties and called it significant. He said that the Tribal Pride Fortnight is being organized across the country from November 1st to 15th. The government is providing a better platform to connect the tribal community with the mainstream of society and the nation and to move forward with respect. 

Artists from 22 states are coming to Uttar Pradesh to participate. 

CM Yogi said that artists from 22 states are getting the opportunity to join the cultural gathering. Arunachal Pradesh is the partner state for artist participation. Artists from Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Goa, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Punjab are coming to Uttar Pradesh to participate in the Tribal Participation Festival. There are also handicraft and art exhibitions, a food fair, and a literary and development forum dedicated to tribal literature. 

The level of education of tribal community has increased and they are getting the benefit of government schemes. 

CM Yogi said that the tribal community has a small population in Uttar Pradesh. Previously, when government job advertisements were published, not all seats reserved for Scheduled Castes were filled. Recently, when 60,244 police positions were recruited, the seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes were filled by youth from the same community. This shows that their level of education and participation has increased. They are benefiting from government schemes. 

Benefits of development schemes being given to the tribes 

CM Yogi said that the government has decided to empower all tribes in Uttar Pradesh and work towards achieving saturation. The government has launched a mission-mode campaign to cover tribes such as Tharu, Musahar, Chero, Buksa, Saharia, Kol, and Gaur under all government schemes. As a result, most tribes are receiving benefits from development schemes (connectivity, drinking water, electricity, pensions, ration cards, and Ayushman Bharat). 

The CM discussed the Prime Minister's Tribal Justice Campaign. 

The Chief Minister stated that numerous programs have been launched for the tribal community under the PM Janman Yojana (PMJAY) and the Prime Minister's Tribal Justice Campaign. The Buksa tribe in Bijnor has been included in the list. Under this program, 815 families, including 145 Buksa families, have been approved for PM housing, electrification of all homes, drinking water, a mobile medical unit, an Anganwadi center, mobile towers in five settlements, five multipurpose centers, and five Vandhan centers. 

Work done to connect 517 tribal dominated villages with all the schemes

The Chief Minister said that all Scheduled Tribe settlements in the state are being covered with all facilities under the Dhartiaba Janjati Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan. For this purpose, 47 blocks and 517 villages in 26 districts have been identified. Of these, Sonbhadra has the highest number of 176 villages, followed by Ballia with 61, Lalitpur with 36, Deoria, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Kushinagar with 34 each, Ghazipur with 26, Mirzapur with 20, Gorakhpur with 18, Chandauli with 17, Balrampur with 16, Pilibhit, Prayagraj, and Siddharthnagar with seven each, Bijnor with five, Bahraich and Basti with three each, Barabanki, Bhadohi, Maharajganj, and Shravasti with two each, and one each in Ambedkarnagar, Mahoba, Sant Kabir Nagar, Jaunpur, and Sitapur. Work has been done to connect 517 tribal-dominated villages with all kinds of schemes, including Aadhaar, Ayushman Card, PM Ujjwala Yojana, caste and residence certificate, Mudra Yojana, Kisan Credit Card, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Insurance Scheme, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, ration card, etc. The double-engine government has approved the coverage of the local infrastructure. 

The double engine government is developing the society along with restoring tribal pride.

CM Yogi mentioned the scholarships and fee reimbursements provided to Scheduled Tribe students. He said that till now we have benefited 1.50 lakh students from these schemes. Nine Ashram Vidyalayas are operating in Lakhimpur Kheri, Balrampur, Bahraich, Maharajganj, Shravasti, Bijnor. Through these, education is being provided to 2026 tribal students. Two free hostels are being operated for tribal students. Eight hostels (two each in Lakhimpur Kheri and Chandauli, and one each in Ballia, Gorakhpur, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra) are under construction. Eklavya Model Residential Schools for tribal students are operating in Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, and Sonbhadra, and one is under construction in Lalitpur.

CM Yogi said that girls in grades 6, 9, and 11 who are not studying in residential schools are being benefited from uniforms and bicycle schemes. The CM discussed the Forest Rights Act and said that the state government has implemented it in 13 districts. Over 23,430 Scheduled Tribes who reside in forests have been granted land rights, registering their claims in revenue records and providing them with ownership rights. The double-engine government is restoring tribal pride and expressing empathy and goodwill towards the demands of the tribal community. The double-engine government is protecting their safety and heritage. Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh, Social Welfare Minister Aseem Arun, Chairman of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Commission Baijnath Rawat, Vice Chairman Bechhan Ram, and Legislative Council Member Subhash Yaduvansh were present on the occasion.

Read More: Delhi Blast: If you have to go to the railway station or airport, read the police advice.