The vice- president of Scheduled Tribes Commission, Government of India, Ravi Thakur stressed on the grievances of the ST category people from the state being addressed while holding a meeting with the Dehradun district magistrate Ravinath Raman and other district officers in the city on Monday. He laid emphasis on the fact that ST people, different from the mainstream in languages, dialects, culture, tradition and beliefs, are generally at the receiving end of official apathy. They live remote from the mainstream society in the forest areas and this is the reason why the fruits of the welfare schemes meant for them are not reaching them in the right proportions, Thakur said in course of the meeting. He asked the officials specifically about the ST-related matters pending before them and instructed them to act on them to ensure that they do not suffer in any way.
It was a matter of regret, he stressed, that the positive results of myriad schemes launched for their welfare by the Centre and the state government had been eluding them. Thakur directed the officers of various departments to speed up works related to constructing roads, toilets and hostels in their jurisdictional limits to ensure that government welfare schemes reach the door step of the intended beneficiaries belonging to ST.
DM Ravinath Raman assured him that they would act on his directions and no effort would be spared to bring the ST people in the mainstream of development.
Among others present on the occasion were SP City Ajay Singh, district development officer Pradeep Pandey and the department officers of ST welfare department.