PM targets Cong, says earlier govts neglected all-round development of tribals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said previous governments neglected allround development of tribal areasIt was Atal Bihari Vajpayees government at the Centre which formed a separate ministry for tribal development he said targeting the CongressThe prime minister was speaking at Jambughoda in Gujarats Panchmahal district after launching various development projects on the last day of his threeday visit to the pollbound stateTribal development ministry was formed when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister No such ministry existed before the BJP came to power Money was spent for tribal development works after this ministry was formed he saidRemember what was the situation of tribal areas twenty years ago in Gujarat when I was made the chief minister Those who were in power in the past had not worked for allround development of tribal areas PM Modi claimedAlso Read Congress calls AAP BJPs Bteam says contest in Gujarat is between BJP and itselfThere was a huge gap between the development of tribal and nontribal areas the prime minister said adding that tribal areas lacked basic facilitiesSchools were not built food availability was an issue and malnutrition was another major issue We worked hard to change that situation and with active participation of tribals we largely managed to change the situation he saidAs many as 10000 new schools were built for tribal students PM Modi notedToday there are two tribal universities Govind Guru University in Godhra and Birsa Munda University in Narmada district which are among the finest institutions of higher education the prime minister saidThe BJP government developed piped water supply facility microirrigation and put emphasis on the dairy sector for the development of tribal areas he saidSakhi Mandals or womens groups were formed to empower our tribal sisters and increase their incomes the prime minister saidDue to everybodys efforts good roads have reached every village in tribal districts along with 24 hours electricity he saidThe tribaldominated Dang was the first district in Gujarat to get 24 hours of assured electricity supply which led to the expansion of industries in tribal areas the prime minister saidAlong the Golden Corridor of Gujarat twin cities of HalolKalol are being developed apace as an industrial hub he saidIt was the BJP government which decided to celebrate November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas Tribal Pride Day to honour tribal icon Birsa Munda he addedPM Modi also praised the contribution of tribal communities in the freedom struggle He visited Mangarh earlier in the day and paid tributes to Govind Guru and thousands of tribal fighters who sacrificed their lives for Indias independence he saidThe prime minister on this occasion dedicated to the country and laid the foundation stones of projects worth Rs 860 croreHe inaugurated a new campus of Shri Govind Guru University Godhra Sant Joriya Parameshwar Primary School and Memorial at Vadek village and Raja Rup Singh Nayak Primary School and Memorial at Dandiyapura villageThe PM laid the foundation stone for the building of a Kendriya Vidyalaya at Godhra He also laid the foundation stone for Godhra Medical College and the expansion of Kaushalya a Skills University which will be constructed at the cost of Rs 680 croreThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever