At a time when tribal across the country are deprived of their rights, Gujarat Government is in the process to empower them with right to cultivate on forest land, said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Addressing a huge gathering at Vansada in South Gujarat Modi said that now tribal would not get cheated by the middlemen as his Government provided them land, water and electricity. He gave allotment letters to 15,000 tribal of five districts which would give them right to till land in forest areas.
The State Government has begun campaign of giving land cultivation rights to the tribals under Forest Right Act-2006. Modi handed over land allocation letters to 95,206 acre forest land amounting `1,425 crore. large number of tribal from Navsari, Surat, Tapi, Valsad and Dang districts of south Gujarat gathered in the event — Tribal Rights and Empowerment- jointly organised by Tribal Development and Forest Department.
With the commitment of economic and social empowerment of tribals, Chief Minister Narendra distributed cheques of `12.90 crore under the various schemes of forest department to 715 beneficiaries. Tribals were struggling for rights of cultivation of forest land since many of their generations but the present Government willingly used the satellite technology, locating the right beneficiaries and giving them their rights, he added.
“The state government made a fresh deliberation and granted 22,000 new claims so that the tribal framers need not have to bow before any of the politician or government functionaries,’ said BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate.
He said that our government showed a path for tribals to be partner in nation building by empowering them. For the first time after independence it was the non-congress government of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji which formed a separate ministry for tribals he said adding that Congress has merely deceived tribals for vote-bank.