Governor Santosh Gangwar, who attended the World Tribal Day inaugural ceremony in Ranchi on Friday, urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to implement the PESA law in the state as soon as possible. The Governor said in his speech that it is necessary to implement PESA law in the state to strengthen the traditional governance system of the tribal community. At present, Jharkhand is the only state in the country where PESA law is not implemented.
“It is necessary to implement the traditional governance system of the tribal community in the state. At present, Jharkhand is the only state in the country where PESA law is not implemented. I request the Chief Minister to implement this law soon,” he said.
The Governor said that he was proud to say that there are no things like dowry system in the tribal community. But the irony is that evils like witch practice still exist in the tribal society. There is a need to remove it by bringing public awareness. On this occasion, I urge everyone to become more aware of education. Education plays an important role in the social and economic progress of any society.
He said that the land of Jharkhand has been the land of heroes. Great sons like Veer Budhu Bhagat, Sidhu-Kanhu, Chand-Bhairav, Phoolo-Jhanho, and Jatra Oraon, born in this soil, sacrificed their lives to protect their motherland. Remembering the sacrifices of all of them, I pay my tribute to them.
The art, culture, folk literature and customs preserved by the tribes are renowned not only in our country but all over the world. Their environmental knowledge and approach to co-existence with nature is inspiring for all of us, he said.
The tribal community accounts for about 27 per cent of the population of more than 3.28 crore in the state of Jharkhand. 32 types of scheduled tribes live here, including 8 PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups). This society is an integral part of our society, who have further enriched the diversity of our country through their unique identity and culture.
However, even today our tribal community is facing many challenges. We need to work more on basic issues like education, health, and employment. We have to ensure that our tribal brothers and sisters get full benefit of the welfare schemes run by the government, and they are aware of their rights.
We all should be proud of the culture of the tribal community and take a pledge to preserve it. I am proud to say that there are no evils like dowry-pratha in the tribal society, which is an exemplary example but the irony is that social evils like witch-practice still exist in the tribal society, which we all have to remove by becoming aware.
On this occasion, I urge everyone to be more aware of education. Education plays an important role in the social and economic progress of any society. The government runs many scholarship schemes in this direction and it should be ensured that our students get the benefits of scholarship on time.
History is a witness to the fact that many people from our tribal community have received education even in difficult circumstances. Our country's President and former Governor of Jharkhand State, Draupadi Murmu also received higher education in difficult circumstances and she became the first woman from her village to take admission in college. She is an inspiration for all. Today, we have a better education environment than before. Therefore, more and more people should get higher education and emerge as a source of inspiration in society through their work.
The Governor has been entrusted with special responsibilities by the Constitution in the administration of scheduled areas. I am committed to discharge these responsibilities.
Finally, I would like to say that we all have a lot to learn from the tribal society. Their love for nature, their simple and balanced approach towards life can lead us to a better future.
