ENARADA, Mysore, April 15, 2014
Tribal community in Mysore-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency today alleged that successive governments at the centre ignored their long pending demands and they want firm assurance from political parties if they want their votes in the Lok Sabha elections on April 17.
Mr Srikanth of Development through Education (DEED), a tribal welfare organisation in Hunsur, said that Budakattu Krishikara Sangha, DEED, Vikasa Vahini, and other like-minded groups are demanding for compulsory primary education in tribal mother tongue, which calls for enactment of a law at the national-level.
“40,000 voters belong to the tribal community in the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency demand for education besides a comprehensive drinking water facility for tribal hamlets, importance to sanitation by constructing toilets and launching Nirmala Grama Yojana in tribal areas; emphasis on agriculture, improving agricultural output by enhancing soil fertility through natural means, and groundwater recharging through rainwater harvesting” Srikanth said.
Their other demand is the constitution of a national tribal university in the region on the lines of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, to foster tribal culture through research, publication and education.
Tribal community wants implementation of act, Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA) 1996, which provides for tribal self-rule in areas where their numbers are high. “PESA has been enacted in States like Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. If PESA is enacted, tribal people will feel empowered and their culture and way of life can be protected”, said activists of Vikasa Vahini.
Likewise, the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, though on paper, have not been implemented in spirit, Srikanth lamented.
well done sir, i wish u all the best….