Nadda says 27 tribal research centres will be opened across country

CHAMARAJANAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J P Nadda, while interacting with the Soliga tribal community at Male Mahadeshwara Hills in the district on Wednesday, said that 27 tribal research centres will be opened in the country.

Nadda visited the Male Mahadeshwara temple on Wednesday.

“The research centres will highlight the development work done by the tribals. I want to assure the tribal brothers and sisters that we will change the landscape of this area”, Nadda said after flagging off the party’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra. He further said that over 36,000 tribal villages are to be made ‘model’ villages.

The first of the Vijay Sankalp Yatras was flagged off from Male Mahadeshwara Hills on Wednesday.

Nadda flagged off the Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra which will start from four places in Karnataka. According to Nadda, in 20 days, the yatra will cover 8,000 km. “In this yatra, 75 public meetings will be held and 150 roadshows will take place. At different places, this yatra will connect with people from across Karnataka”, he said.

“Vijay Sankalp Yatras will be flagged off by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Belagavi and by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in two other locations. In the coming days, we’ll cover 8000 km, and around 75 public meetings and 150 roadshows will be held in the state”, Nadda said.

The crowd at the convention.

Talking about the Union government’s approach to the development of the tribes, Nadda said the Modi government has increased the budget for tribals by 190 per cent. “In 2013, the budget was Rs 4,295 crore which has been increased to Rs 12,461 crore today, which is 190 per cent,” Nadda said. “The Modi government gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes. Under the National Fellowship scheme, around 18,000 beneficiaries are being given financial assistance”, he added.

He also said that the Central government has worked for the betterment of the tribals, poor, women and deprived.
“In the government today, we have 12 ministers from Scheduled Tribes”, the BJP president said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai addressing the gathering.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state government has written to the Centre to amend the Forest Rights Act to give the tribals more privileges. Under the Stree Samarthya Yogana, Rs 5 lakh will be given to two Stree Shakti groups in each village. Those living on the forest fringes will be rehabilitated, he said.

Senior leader B S Yediyurappa also spoke about the various schemes and achievements of the BJP government and stressed that the party will come back to power in the state. (With Agency inputs)