Tribal rights will be protected at any cost: Assam CM

Guwahati: Tribal rights will be protected at any cost in Assam and tribal society needs to be uplifted from illiteracy and poverty in the state, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said.
All illegal encroachment on tribal land would be removed by the government and rights of the sons of soil would be upheld at any cost, Sonowal said at a Vision Document release function of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA) here. He said tribal people live in difficult socio-economic conditions and factors like illiteracy and poverty have halted their development process, which has reduced them to minority in their own homeland.
Taking a strong stance against such practices, Sonowal said the government was determined to bring the tribal people of the state at par with other communities. He said taking advantage of their weaker socio-economic status the anti-social elements like terrorists organisations were luring away some of the tribal youths, which would not be allowed to continue. Both central and state governments have been working towards making an inclusive society where rights of all communities were upheld and benefits of government schemes reach all people cutting across all barriers, Sonowal assured.
Urging the people of Assam to work hard to achieve their goals in life, the Chief Minister said government schemes would only be successful when people work hard to take their benefits.
The tribal youths must work towards making meaningful contribution to society through sincere and dedicated endeavours, staying away from social evils like drugs and other anti-social activities, he said.
Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana etc were all aimed at enabling the underprivileged sections of society to make the dream of an inclusive society a reality, he said.
Sonowal said ABVKA has been doing commendable job in highlighting the issues of the tribal society and the Vision Document would go a long way in helping the government to formulate ways for tribal uplift.
The Document would help the government in implementing tribal welfare schemes in the coming days as extensive research has gone into highlighting all issues and concerns of the tribal society, he added. (PTI)