Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Monday announced inclusion of Odisha's Kalahandi district in the new Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY) for the overall development of the scheduled tribes.
Munda, who is on the second day of his tour of Odisha, also advised the central and state government officials to work in coordination in a bid to reach out to the last mile beneficiary.
He asked the officials to conduct field visits, meet the beneficiaries, find the gaps in the system and take every possible step to plug those.
Munda also assured the state government of complete support from the Government of India at every step.
On the occasion, the minister talked about the new PMAAGY scheme for rural development.
The objective of this new scheme is to ensure that the programmes and schemes of all the 41 ministries of the central government are implemented properly, he said.
Munda also reviewed the Aspirational District Programme of the NITI Aayog.
On the Ekalavya Vidyalayas, the union minister said that a total of 740 such schools are being constructed in different parts of the country and efforts are on to improve the quality of learning.
He advised the officials to come up with a roadmap to promote the art and culture of Kalahandi.
During the day, the minister also met a self-help group of the Kutia Kondh community in Kalahandi.
Munda visited a government school in Bhatangpadar in Kalahandi and enquired about the facilities provided in the school.
He also lauded the contribution of NGOs that play a major role in enhancing the reach of government schemes and in filling the critical gaps of service deficient tribal areas.
The central and state governments implement a number of schemes for the welfare & development of STs. However, NGOs play an important role in enhancing the reach of Government schemes, Munda said in a tweet.
Stating that government efforts are supplemented by NGOs to achieve the ultimate objective of the delivery of services to remote and unreached tribal areas, Munda said the standard of services provided is equally important.
On Sunday, the minister visited the Skill Development Extension Centre in Bhawanipatna along with local MP Basanta Kumar Panda and other dignitaries.