Veteran BJP leader Jual Oram took charge of India’s Tribal Affairs Ministry on Friday for the third time saying his focus would be on tribal education and health – top priorities of the Modi government.
The 63-year-old leader was elected for the fifth time to the Lok Sabha, this time defeating BJD candidate and former Indian Hockey captain Dilip Tirkey by 1,38,808 votes on his home turf Sundargarh in Odisha.
"This is the third time I am taking charge of the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. I pray to Lord Jagannath, and I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this responsibility," Oram told reporters after taking charge.
He said tribal education and health would be the top priorities of the Modi government.
"The biggest issue in the tribal areas of the country is education. I told PM Modi this when I met him in the first Modi government. He asked what one thing is the most important for tribals. I said education.
"We have been able to create a robust education infrastructure and network of Eklavya Model Residential Schools in the country. This rivals the network of Kendriya Vidyalayas and I think we can do better than KVs," Oram said.
EMRS were launched in 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas and to open paths for them for high and professional educational courses and get jobs in various sectors.
The Programme focuses on the all-round development of the students.
"The second priority issue in tribal areas is health. We will address this issue in the Modi government's third term. We will further improve the road, communication, and irrigation network in the tribal regions of the country," the minister said.
Around 705 ethnic groups are officially recognised as Scheduled Tribes in India, but it’s believed many more qualify for ST status.
The population of indigenous Peoples in India is around 10.4 crore or 8.6 per cent of the national population.
Laws and constitutional provisions such as the Fifth Schedule for Central India and the Sixth List for certain areas of northeastern India recognise Indigenous Peoples or tribals’ rights to land and self-government.
However, implementation remains a problem.
With inputs from PTI.
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