“Work is under way on a war-footing for establishing Internet connectivity in all tribal hamlets by the end of this year for ensuring digital learning,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the launch of the social solidarity observation being organised by the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development Department in Kochi on October 2.
Internet connectivity had been established in 1,083 hamlets out of the 1,284 tribal hamlets which didn’t have connectivity before. The State government had spent ₹4.31 crore on Internet connectivity in Edamalakkudy alone. Education, livelihood and empowerment remain the three foundations based on which projects meant for the comprehensive development and welfare of the scheduled communities were being implemented in the State.
A first of its kind project, A.B.C.D, anywhere in India was being implemented for making available all basic documents to scheduled tribe families in the State and for the safe digitisation of those documents. The project, which had already been implemented in Wayanad and Palakkad districts, was nearing completion in the rest of the State.
All projects of the Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste Development Department were being implemented under a single umbrella named Unnathi. The Kerala Empowerment Society set by the State for the skill development and livelihood access of the scheduled communities thus helping the educated youngsters among the communities to turn entrepreneurs had become a model for the rest of the country. Training for career excellence project was also being implemented under various departments for the skill development, vocational training and work experience of the educated among the scheduled class communities. Both these projects had helped the marginalised communities access to better opportunities.
Five hundred scheduled tribe members had been appointed as beat forest officers through a special recruitment drive. Steps were under way to appoint 100 scheduled tribe members as excise guards.
A foreign educational programme was also being implemented for making available global opportunities to the scheduled tribe and scheduled class communities. So far, 422 students from these communities had been able to study in foreign universities. Students were being granted scholarship ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
A special training programme to help scheduled tribe students to get into the civil service was also being implemented. Scholarship was being allotted for getting training in any institution in the country. Criteria had been amended to make available the benefit of scholarship to those who secure admission to premium educational and vocational training institutions in merit or through reservation.
When the Central government had denied post-matriculation scholarship to students from families of scheduled communities with an annual income of ₹2.50 lakh, the State government made Budgetary allocation to grant scholarship to all scheduled community students irrespective of their annual family income. Similar Budgetary allocations were made for restoring the scholarship, which was suspended by the Union government for students between classes I and VIII.
“The social solidarity campaign being observed till October 16 aims at bringing the marginalised sections to the mainstream society,” Mr. Vijayan said. He inaugurated the portal for the scholarship for students from Class I to VIII from backward communities. K. Radhakrishnan, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, participated.
