BJD govt neglected tribals in 19 years: BJP

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Bhubaneswar: Targeting the BJD government over issues related tribal population of the state, the state unit of BJP Wednesday alleged that the government has done precious little for tribals in past 19 years.
Addressing the media, BJP MLA Rabi Naik alleged that the state government has been neglecting the 23 per cent tribal population of the state in its 19 years of misrule.
“There was no significant progress made on education, health, communication, women and livelihood of the tribal people of the state in the regime of the BJD government. Besides, the tribal girls staying in various residential schools and hostels of the government are being harassed and sexually assaulted,” Naik alleged.
The BJD government has also failed to provide stipend to the tribal students and budgetary provision for the development tribal people of the state, he said, adding, “About 3.46 per cent of the budgetary allocation was made for development of tribals in 2010-11, which plummeted to 2.84 per cent in 2018-19 budget.”
Similarly, the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) meeting is not being conducted regularly. After a three-and-half-year gap, the meeting of TAC was held this year. All this speaks volumes of BJD government’s apathy towards the tribal people of the state, the BJP leader alleged. However, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra has rejected the allegations made by the BJP legislator and said the BJD government is giving utmost priority to the tribals. It has constituted a special development council in nine tribal dominated districts recently, he added.
Retaliating saffron party’s allegations, Patra said, “The BJP is neglecting the tribals, not we. Though tribal leader from Odisha Jual Oram is the Union Tribal Affairs minister, he had done nothing for the tribals of Odisha.”