Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday urged Central government to open two new Eklavya residential schools for tribal students in the border districts of Pithoragarh and Chamoli in the state.
At the three-day tribal festival organized to celebrate the birthday of freedom fighter Birsa Munda and Uttarakhand State Foundation Day on Thursday, the Chief Minister urged Union Tribal Minister Arjun Munda, who was sharing the dais with him, to provide tabs to 5,000 tribal students studying in various schools. He also requested the union minister to set up a museum based on the lives of freedom fighters in the state.
"Today the entire world is speaking about global warming and saving the environment. But our tribes have been paying special attention to environmental protection since ages. The knowledge of our tribal groups about herbs has been their special identity for centuries," said the Chief Minister.
Currently, there are three Eklavya Model Schools, three ITIs, four tribal hostels, and sixteen Ashram schools in the state, which are providing good education to the children of Scheduled Tribes of remote areas, according to the minister.
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Lauding the Chief Minister for the initiatives of his government-related development of the State and the tribes, Munda said that Prime Minister Modi has worked to ensure respect to the tribals in the country. He also said that it has been decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda as Gaurav Diwas.
Munda said that plans would be made for the development of tribal areas adding that he expected the Chief Minister to send a proposal. He also said that 450 schools would be opened for strengthening the education system in tribal areas in the country, for which a provision of Rs 30, 000 crores has been made.
He said that decision will be taken swiftly regarding whatever proposals are sent by the Chief Minister related to the development of tribal areas. This three-day festival is being held at ONGC Ambedkar Maidan in the state capital Dehradun.
