Ahead of twin polls, Odisha Cabinet revokes tribal land transfer decision
Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (PTI) Ahead of the upcoming twin elections for Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly, the state government on Monday withdrew its earlier decision on tribal land transfer and also approved a new scheme which will benefit around one crore tribal population.
The decisions were taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
As per the decision, the cabinet approved a proposal to withdraw November 14, 2023 decision to allow tribals to handover their land to non-tribals by amending the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (By Scheduled Tribes) Regulation.
However, the decision came under intense criticism from various quarters forcing the state government to put it on hold. "Today the cabinet approved the proposal to withdraw the earlier decision," an official note said.
Briefing media after the cabinet meeting, Revenue and Disaster Minister Sudam Marndi and ST, SC, OBC & Minorities Minister Jagannath Saraka, Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena and Principal Secretary, ST& SC Development department Roopa Roshan Sahu said the decisions will lead to empowerment of about one crore tribal people in the state.
Among the key decisions is the announcement of a new scheme called Laghu Bana Jatiya Drabya Kraya (LABHA) for the development of tribals.
Under this scheme, the government will ensure a 100% state-funded minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce (MFP).
Since about 99% of MFP activities are carried out by tribals, this initiative aims to support their livelihoods. The minimum support price will be determined annually by the state government.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the establishment of a Commission for the Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Languages of Scheduled Tribes of Odisha. This commission will focus on preserving and promoting 21 tribal languages in Odisha, encouraging multilingual education, documenting and preserving tribal languages, promoting their use, and protecting linguistic rights.
Moreover, the cabinet passed a resolution for the inclusion of 169 communities in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of Odisha. The meeting also unanimously resolved to reiterate the state government’s demand for the inclusion of these 169 communities in the ST list.
Lastly, a unanimous resolution was passed by the cabinet to reiterate the inclusion of Ho, Mundari, Kui, and Saora languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. PTI
