Odisha Governor calls for empathetic approach in tribal development

Bhubaneswar : Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati on Saturday urged officials to adopt a humanitarian and empathetic approach while implementing welfare schemes for tribal communities in the state.

The Governor made the appeal during a day-long interaction at Raj Bhavan with field-level officers from the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, and the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department. Ministers Nityanand Gond and Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia were also present.

The discussions focused on key issues including Eklavya Model Residential Schools, scholarships, Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce (MFP), Article 275(1), PM-JANMAN, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, and verification of fake caste certificate cases.

Dr. Kambhampati directed officials to dispose of all pending FRA patta applications within 90 days and emphasized that alternatives must be explored before carrying out any evictions. He also sought details on mechanisms used to verify fake caste certificates.

Stressing the importance of education, the Governor instructed that no eligible tribal student should be denied scholarships and enquired about steps to improve the performance of schools run by the ST & SC Development Department.

On MFP procurement, he urged the need to eliminate middlemen, ensure fair pricing, and promote MSMEs for processing forest produce. He also highlighted the need to achieve 100 percent mobile network coverage in all tribal villages and called for stronger awareness campaigns for social security schemes like PMJJBY, PMSBY, and Atal Pension Yojana.

Additionally, Dr. Kambhampati encouraged the promotion of rooftop solar systems in tribal households and stressed the timely preparation of annual reports for greater accountability.

“The purpose of this meeting is to assess how government schemes are being implemented at the grassroots level and to identify challenges faced,” the Governor said, underlining the need for a compassionate approach in tribal welfare.