Bhubaneswar: The Special Development Councils (SDC) set up by the government play a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of tribal culture and heritage, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.
Speaking at a function organised here to launch the programme for capacity building for tribal PRI members here, Naveen said his government is committed to the promotion and preservation of tribal culture and heritage.
Odisha government, he said, has undertaken a number of steps for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of the tribal communities.
As many as 6,700 hostels and 1,731 schools have been opened to provide quality education to more than six lakh students with an objective to empower the tribals through education, the Chief Minister said.
Mission Sividya is launched to ensure quality standard thus setting a high benchmark. Around 23,000 tribal households have been covered under the scheme to provide sustainable economic upliftment, he said.
Odisha is the number one state in the country in the implementation of Forest Rights Act by giving titles to more than 4.36 lakh people dwelling in forest areas, the chief minister claimed.
Welcoming the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda and Minister of State Renuka Singh, the chief minister said the capacity building programme would go a long way in strengthening the local self governing institutions in tribal areas.
Under the programme, the SC/ST department is scheduled to take a series of training programmes for over 30,000 ST PRI members for a period of six to nine months.