Odisha to form 9 development councils for tribals

Bhubaneswar: With an aim to uplift the economic condition of tribals as well as provide quality education to them in Odisha while keeping their unique identity intact, the State Cabinet today approved a proposal to set up the Tribal Special Development Council in nine districts.

The development council will function in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput and Nabarangpur districts.

Announcing the Cabinet’s decision during a meeting at the State Secretariat here Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “The councils will have decision making powers and financial resources to preserve, promote and develop unique socio-cultural identities and economic capacities of tribals in the state.”

The government has targeted to spend Rs 175.5 crore annually for tribals of the State through these development councils in which representatives of 62 tribal groups will be members.

Each block in the nine districts will get an allocation of Rs 1.5 crore every year.

The State has 62 distinct scheduled tribes of which 13 are particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). The tribals constitute 22% of the State’s population.