The State Government has decided to provide land to all landless tribals by 2016-17, said CM Naveen Patnaik at a meeting of the Tribes Advisory Council on Saturday.
Stating that sustained interventions are being taken to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the tribal communities, Patnaik said the Government has decided to provide land in Tribal Sub-Plan Blocks over the next four years covering all 19,093 villages. “It is expected that by 2016-17, no ST family in these areas will remain landless," Patnaik said.
To increase enrolment and reduce dropout rate, over 3,000 hundred-seat hostels have already been made functional so far and another 1,000 hostels are under different stages of construction, he said. In addition, it was decided to open urban hostel complexes for SC and ST boys and girls in Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur and Rourkela, he said, adding that hostel complexes at Brahmapur and Rourkela have been made functional while construction is in progress in Bhubaneswar.
In view of the impressive matriculation results, the Government has decided to upgrade 38 high schools of the ST/SC Development Department to the higher secondary level with facilities for Plus Two Science. Besides, Patnaik said 10 more Ekalavya model residential schools would be opened in tribal pockets. Among others, ST/SC Development Minister lalbihari Himirika, 12 MlAs, two MPs, eminent social worker Tulasi Munda, SC/ST Department Secretary Santosh Sarangi attended the meeting.