MARGAO
There’s good news in store for the communities of the Scheduled Tribes spread across South Goa. Come May 24 and a branch of the ST Finance Corporation in the South Goa district will finally become a reality.
If Tribal Welfare Minister Govind Gawde is to be believed, a facilitation centre of the ST Finance Corporation will be inaugurated at the Tribal Welfare office, South Goa, on May 24. Speaking at a programme organised by the Salcete Tribal Forum at the Multipurpose Hall, Borda, on Saturday, the Tribal Welfare Minister said the ST Finance Corporation’s facilitation centre at Margao will help take the various schemes, including self-employment, to the door steps of the ST community.
Saying that he will never allow injustice to the ST community as long as he presides over the Tribal Welfare Ministry, Gawde said, “Your problem is my problem. But what I want from you is to extend your cooperation for the implementation of the self-employment schemes. Let us all join hands so that schemes meant for our community reach their door steps and they benefit immensely.”
Laying stress on education, the Tribal Welfare Minister said the ST Commission will come out with schemes to impart training, coaching and training to the ST youth pursuing higher education and professional courses. “In the past, many people of our community could not get the benefit of education for want of money. Today, I am not ready to accept that people are not receiving education because he or she has no money. We are even coming out with scholarships to provide financial help and assistance to the youth from the ST community,” he added.
Salcete Tribal Forum President, Romaldo Gonsalves, informed that the awareness programme was organised by the forum in association with the Goa State Schedule Tribe Finance Development
Corporation and Goa Commission for SC/ST. He said that a number of sanction orders will be distributed to the ST beneficiaries.
