Lucknow, Aug 6 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the government would ensure the representation of every community in the Denotified and Nomadic Communities Development Board and work to extend the benefits of all government welfare schemes to them.
Addressing members of denotified and nomadic communities who had gathered to thank the government for the board, which has been approved by the Cabinet recently, Adityanath said the initiative was part of the BJP-led government’s policy of inclusive development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” vision.
“The new link in this chain of inclusive development is the Nomadic Communities Development Board,” the chief minister said.
Adityanath said members of denotified communities had been unfairly branded as “criminal tribes” under the British-era Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 because many among them had actively participated in India’s freedom struggle.
“The British declared them criminal tribes because they had made life difficult for the colonial rulers by participating directly and indirectly in the freedom movement,” he said.
The chief minister credited B R Ambedkar with removing the stigma after Independence by abolishing the colonial law and declaring them as denotified communities in 1952. He alleged that despite this, adequate efforts for their welfare were not made for decades.
Claiming that the Narendra Modi government was the first after Independence to constitute a commission for denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities, Adityanath said he had announced the formation of a similar board in Uttar Pradesh during a convention of nomadic communities last year.
“The process of constituting the board has now moved forward,” he said.
The chief minister said the board would identify members of these communities and ensure that they receive the benefits of government welfare schemes.
“We will ensure that every community gets representation in the board. Their voice should reach the government, and we will make every effort to provide them basic amenities,” he said.
Highlighting the BJP government’s welfare initiatives, Adityanath said communities such as the Van Tangiyas, Musahars, Tharus, Gonds, Cheros, Buxas, Kols and Sahariyas had been linked with government schemes, including housing, ration cards, land rights, Ayushman Bharat health insurance, electricity, LPG connections and social security pensions.
He also referred to projects such as the installation of Nishadraj Guha’s statue at Shringverpur, the Maharaja Suheldev memorial in Bahraich, tribal museums and educational institutions named after tribal and backward community icons as examples of efforts to honour historically neglected communities. PTI ABN MNK MNK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.