MARGAO
Speakers at the day-long conference Goa Tribal Vision 2037 has called for aligning Swayampurna Goem with Swayampurna Adivasis, with focus on the political and other guarantees, including political reservations for the Scheduled Tribe communities.
Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly Ganesh Gaonkar said the conference should focus on political and employment guarantees and strict financial accountability in the utilisation of the funds earmarked under the Tribal Sub plan.
Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said the Vision document should lay the road map for the social emancipation of the scheduled tribes, their economic independence and strong political leadership to take the community forward.
Speaker Ganesh Gaonkar said that Goa government’s Swayampuna Goem should be aligned to Swayampurna Adivasis, “This conference should come out with a vision document focussing on making tribes Swayampurna Adivasis. The land and forest rights of the tribal communities, including tenancy and mundcar cases should be expedited. These points should be taken up for discusisons”, he said.
Gaonkar said thousands of crores of ruppes will be available for spending on ST development and progress if there is strict financial accountability on the tribal sub plan fund spending.
While insisting on political reservations for the ST community, Gaonkar said the Vision document should prepare the road map for clearing the backlog of jobs by filling up the posts on priority. “The vision document should also focus on economic empowerment and agriculture and the preservation of ST culture”, he added.
In his address, Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said the Vision document should focus on how to uplift the ST community on the social ladder. “There’s an impression that ST people are inhabitants of hilly areas, uneducated and illiterate. This is the stamp people have given to the STs. We have to remove this social bias and bring the community forward”, he added.
He has also called for the political, social and economic empowerment of the ST community. “We have set 11 parameters to reach the last man in the community and extend him the benefits of meant for the community”, he said.
Tawadkar said that scheduled tribes will be able to look forward to good days in the community leaders work shoulder to shoulder for their common benefit.
Former minister Govind Gawde said a community’s progress is measured is terms of the number of professionals such as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants. advocates, besides selfless leaders belonging to the community.
He said the Vision document 2037 will lay the foundation for the emancipation of the scheduled tribes in the state.
