Grama vastavya: Minister Anjaneya has dinner at Marli Koraga’s house in Murur village

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Kundapur, Jan 1, 2017: Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya said a proposal to provide internal reservation to Koraga and Jenukuruba communities will be sent to the Union government to amend the Article 324 of the Constitution.

Speaking on the sidelines of his village stay programme organised to mark the New Year at Marli Koraga’s house in Murur village, he said the most backward and underprivileged classes of the society, which are duly considered as the primitive tribes of the Indian caste system, are struggling to fight with other castes and it calls for the reservation. Hence, there is a rising demand for the internal reservation, he said.

He asserted that the Forest Rights Act has empowered the tribal communities.They can utilise the forest resources for development. The tribal communities can sell the forest products for their living. The Forest Rights Act is the most unique and a revolutionary act which has substantially aimed at improving the livelihood of the tribal communities, he said.

Anjaneya said he has stayed at villages in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chamarajnagar, Mysuru and Chikkamagaluru districts already. “I look into effective implementation of the projects already announced during the village stay,” he said.

He said transport facility is the urgent requirement for the development of any community. The development of roads is essential as it is the only way out to bring the tribals, especially the Koraga community people, into the mainstream of the society.

Blocking work
Anjaneya also expressed displeasure against the Forest Department for blocking the development works at least in the adjacent areas connecting forest.

The minister said he will not announce any additional package in Udupi as the state government has already released Rs 83 crore to the development projects of Koraga communities. In this, Rs 29 crore has been already spent on various programmes, he said.

He also sai that he will urge the chief minister to hike the unit cost of the housing construction to Rs 4.5 lakh as against the existing Rs 2 lakh which is totally insufficient. The Koraga community people are too poor to bear the expenses and are struggling to make their livelihood, he felt.

Expressing apprehensions over the decreasing number of Koragas, the minister said the primitive tribes are slowly decreasing in numbers owing to conflicts and violence and most recently due to the superstitious beliefs.The increasing superstitious beliefs have resulted in decrease in the number of Koragas. Infusing scientific thinking among Koragas is the need of the hour, he said.

Anjaneya stressed that educational and socioeconomic empowerment of the tribals. He said third party inspection will be conducted for the reimbursement of medical bills issued by the recognised hospitals by the government following charges against the fraud done in the bills by the hospitals.

Earlier, he was given a rousing welcome in a traditional way by the Koraga community people. They welcomed him with the traditional band and dance. He was also offered ‘Hale Toppi’ and was also given the various forest grown fruits. He was also offered the ‘Gajje Kolu’ representing Koragajja, the deity of the Koraga community.