The BJP government in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh has decided to withdraw petty criminal cases pending against people from the tribal community.
Announcing this on the occasion of World Tribal Day, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan showered sops on the tribal population and pledged to uplift the community that has been lagging behind in growth and development.
Addressing a convention of tribals in Dhar district, Chouhan also announced that by the end of 2022, each and every tribal person in the state would have a house of his own.
“We would establish tribal rights committees in ST areas that would be headed by people from the community and it would comprise 50% women,” said Chouhan, adding these committees would be empowered to deal with discords at the village-level, plan development issues, regulate forest produce and sort out land disputes.
He said the government is also planning to set up village defence committees that would also supervise land acquisition.
Efforts, Chouhan said, would be made to prevent acquisition of tribals’ land for the use of non-tribal people in Madhya Pradesh.
Chouhan also announced measures to bolster community with education, preservation of tribal art and culture, promotion of sports and upliftment of living standards.
Praising tribal community’s contribution in freedom struggle, he remembered the revolutionaries the community has given India like Birsa Munda, Bheema Nayak, Tantya Bheel and others.
He also said that community centres for the community, including one at Bhopal, will be built. The Chief Minister also felicitated tribal community achievers during the programme. The MP government had announced a public holiday in 20 tribal dominated districts of the state on Thursday.