Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday expressed concern over funds for the education of tribal girls in the state not being released and wrote to Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram seeking his immediate intervention for release of the money.
The state has not received Rs 25.42 crore for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 fiscals under the scheme for Strengthening Education Among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts, the Chief Minister pointed out.
“I would request your personal intervention in this matter to ensure early release of funds towards management of educational complex for the PVTGs (particularly vulnerable tribal group),” Patnaik said in his letter to Oram.
Patnaik said his government has attached the highest priority to education of students belonging to tribal and dalit communities. Of the 75 PVTGs in the country, 13 live in the state, he said. “These PVTGs areas have very low rates of female literacy and 19 educational complexes were set up to bridge the critical gap in education,” he said.
“It is a matter of concern that funds under the scheme have not been released to the state government for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. The state government, in the meantime, has incurred expenditure out of its resources, which is putting extra financial burden on the already stretched revenue resources of the state,” Patnaik wrote to Oram.
“Hence there is an urgent need for release of allocation from MOTA under the scheme amounting to Rs 12.38 crore for the year 2014-15 and Rs 13.04 crore for the year 2015-16,” he wrote.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the MOTA has been providing funds under the scheme Strengthening Education Among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts since 2008-09 for managing these educational complexes that are managed by the Orissa Model Tribal Education Society (OMTES), a government-sponsored society. PNN
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