Kishan assures a better future for tribals

State BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy said the Centre had so far spent Rs 1.13 lakh crore on tribal welfare. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate a new programme for the development of tribals on Monday, especially tribes that are on the verge of extinction.

Addressing the media here on Sunday, he said, "A programme to provide basic amenities for 75 vulnerable tribal groups present in 18 states is being launched with an outlay of Rs 24,104 crore. We have identified 11 parameters on which tribals were neglected. Now nine ministries will work on them. These groups are devoid of water, houses, power, schools, hospitals, roads and other basic amenities, Reddy said.

He informed that Kolam tribe in Adilabad and Asifabad



districts and Chenchus in Nagarkurnool, Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts have been identified as falling in this category. Their numbers across the country have been pegged at 39 lakh spread across 22,000 villages in 18 states, he pointed out.  

The tribal university will start functioning from a rented building this academic year. A tribal museum will come up in a small place at Abids as the BRS government did not allocate a proper place for it, he said.

Slamming comments by Congress leaders on Ayodhya Lord Rama temple, he said, "Consecration of the Rama temple is not a party programme. It is being built after a 550-year struggle. This is the biggest spiritual meeting in the country after Independence."