RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, March 18: The Jharkhand assembly has paved path for two-wheelers for tribal religious heads by approving Rs 2690 crore budgetary demand of the ST, SC, Backward and Minority Welfare Department and the Women and Child Development Department.
The development took place during the post lunch session of the assembly after a debate on the cut motion brought by BJP legislator Kedar Hazra.
Before the budget was approved by voice vote in the absence of BJP legislators, minister Champai Soren in his reply told the house that the government has planned to construct hostels equipped with kitchen and library for tribals in district headquarters to ensure that they get proper education for their development.
Soren said that the government is committed to construct boundaries around religious places of the tribe to ensure its protection against encroachment and thus avoid useless social unrest on the issue.
Earlier, the BJP and Ajsu legislators cornered the state government for its failure in the development of ST, SC, BC and minorities besides women and children. Hazra said that the state government wants to bring greenery in the state by changing the colour of school uniforms and school buildings. He said women are not safe in the state and there is rise in cases of rape. He said lands of Dalits are being encroached and the chief minister is busy befooling students in the name of local policy.
BJP’s Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal said that during last one year the state government has not given any grant to hostels running for ST, SC and BC and no Birsa Awas was constructed in 11 districts of the state. He said the government made over 10000 Poshan Sakhi jobless and made more effort to construct boundary walls around graveyards than religious places of tribes. He said the government has booked 5000 people in Hazaribagh for taking out Ramnavmi procession and did nothing to save tribal land from going into the hands of encroachers.
Ajsu legislator Lambodar Mahto said the state government has failed to increase the pension of widows from Rs 1000 to Rs 2500 as assured.
Defending the state government, Congress party’s legislator Purnima Neeraj Singh said the government has made many schemes which give protection to women. She mentioned Savitri Bai Phule Scheme, Universal pension scheme. Comparing the union budget with the state government’s budget, she said while the union government made minor increments in its budget for the welfare of ST, SC, BC and minority while the state government has made major increments.
BJP’s Panki MLA Kushwaha Shashi Bhusan Prasad Mehta expressed his concern over vacancies in the bodies constituted for protection of women and child right. He said that the state government failed to protect primitive tribe from trafficking.
JMM’s Sisai MLA Jiga Horo appeared in full colour during the debate. He took strong exception to the opposition’s negative remarks for the Hemant Soren government. He alleged the BJP legislators of insulting wise leader Saryu Roy during Raghubar Das rule. He went on saying that Das’ defeat was the result of BJP workers’ anger against Das’ governance.
Congress party’s Mandar MLA Shilpi Neha Tirkey during her speech mentioned the poor representation of SC and ST in judiciary saying out of 124 judges recently finalised by the collegium, the number SC and ST is 4 and 3 respectively. She mentioned the observation of a judge of the constitution bench that said that the condition of ST and SC has not improved despite reservation.
Congress party legislator Ramchandra Singh during his speech demanded amendment to the CNT and SPT Acts to end restriction over the jurisdiction of a police station for sale and purchase of tribal land.
