Latest news with #JualOram
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Won't contest in polls, says Union minister Oram
Bhubaneswar: Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram on Saturday said he is not going to contest in future elections but would be willing to serve in other capacities such as a Rajya Sabha member or as a governor. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking to the media in Sambalpur after attending a Rozgar Mela there, the six-time Lok Sabha member said, "I won't run for MLA or Lok Sabha MP any more. I will continue working for the party, but I feel it's time to make way for younger candidates." The 64-year-old veteran politician contested nine elections so far – seven for Lok Sabha and two in the assembly. His announcement comes barely a year after his re-election to Lok Sabha, defeating BJD's Dilip Tirkey by more than 1.38 lakh votes from Sundargarh constituency. Oram, who belongs to the Oraon tribe, made history in 1999 when he became India's first-ever cabinet minister for tribal affairs under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He held the same portfolio in the Modi govt from 2014 to 2019 and again for a third time in 2024. His political journey began in 1990 when he was elected to the assembly from Bonai. Since then, he has maintained an impressive electoral record, winning all contests except in 2009 when former CM Hemananda Biswal defeated him from Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat. In 2014, he was the lone BJP Lok Sabha member elected from Odisha. Before entering politics, Oram worked as an assistant foreman at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Born into a poor tribal family in Kendudihi village, Sundargarh district, he rose through the ranks to become one of India's prominent tribal leaders. During his tenure, Oram was instrumental in implementing various programmes for tribal welfare and served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence from 2019 to 2024. Amid speculation about the timing of his announcement, Oram, however, left the door open for his involvement in electoral politics. "These are my personal opinions. If the party asks me to contest again, I will comply," Oram said.
New Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Not interested in direct elections anymore: Union Minister Jual Oram
SAMBALPUR: Veteran BJP leader and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Saturday announced he would no longer contest direct elections. The younger generation, he said, should be given more opportunities in Odisha's political landscape. Interacting with the media following his visit to the Rozgar Mela in Sambalpur, Oram said he may be chosen as Governor or nominated to Rajya Sabha but will not take part in direct elections anymore. "I have contested elections 10 times during my career - eight times as MP and twice as MLA. I am not willing to contest direct elections anymore," he said. However, he clarified that he is not considering formal retirement from politics. "I may be sent to the Rajya Sabha or appointed as a Governor by the party. In any case, I will continue serving my party," he added.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Projects in Great Nicobar Islands have strategic importance. The government, thus, must address transparency concerns
In the past five years, the government has taken steps to develop the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a bulwark of security to the east of the country's peninsular area and as a crucial node for safeguarding India's interests in the Indo-Pacific. The project involves revamping airfields and jetties and building logistics and storage facilities, a base for military personnel, and a robust surveillance infrastructure. It also involves a massive infrastructure upgrade on Great Nicobar Island — an International Container Transshipment Terminal, a greenfield international airport, a township, and a gas and solar-based power plant spread. Given that the rapid enhancement of the capabilities of China's People's Liberation Army Navy has greatly increased the strategic importance of the Bay of Bengal in the past two decades, Delhi's infrastructure push and the building of a strong military deterrence at Great Nicobar hasn't come a day too late. However, the island's ecological sensitivity has made the challenge more complex. Civil society activists and wildlife conservationists have alleged that the infrastructure upgrade will harm the region's indigenous communities, including the largely uncontacted Shompen people, it will have negative spinoffs for coral reefs and marine systems and pose a threat to endangered species, including the terrestrial Nicobar megapode bird and leatherback turtles. In 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Ministry of Environment to constitute a high-powered committee (HPC) to revisit the environmental clearances to the Great Nicobar project. On Monday, even as the ministry submitted the panel's report to an NGT bench, there was little indication that a resolution to the impasse was at hand. The HPC has reportedly concluded that the environmental clearances accorded to the project 'adhered to statutory provisions'. The government has, however, not made the panel's report public. Keeping information classified is, of course, necessary at times in matters involving strategic affairs. But in an ecologically fragile region with a vulnerable local population, a project to create a formidable maritime bastion requires engagement with all sections of society. The government's insistence on secrecy will do more harm than good, especially because the lack of transparency around due procedures was a major sticking point with civil society activists. The government has reportedly also wielded the RTI Act's provisions on security and strategic concerns to deny right to information requests about environmental clearances. In March, it used an equally unconvincing argument — the matter is sub judice — to evade a Rajya Sabha question on the red flags raised by the NGT and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes about the project's impact on local communities. Two months later, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said that the government was examining the concerns raised by tribal communities, but again refused to divulge details. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited, which is in charge of the infrastructure development activities, claims that its wildlife conservation plan (WCP) is derived from a framework developed by scientists at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology. But the WCP, too, is not in the public domain. Delhi has taken more than 70 years to recognise the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It now needs to set the record right on transparency — a project of national importance cannot be clouded with misgivings.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
About 600 Eklavya school students cracked IIT-JEE, NEET exams, says Centre
Close to 600 students from government-run Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for Tribal Students across 12 States have cleared top entrance examinations this year for undergraduate studies in medicine and engineering across the country, the Tribal Affairs Ministry's assessment of the EMRS's performance for the year showed. Officials added that in a special effort to give these students the confidence to proceed with higher education, the Ministry is preparing to reach out to these students with the gamut of government scholarships available to them and handhold the entire application process. Officials told The Hindu that a total of 596 students of EMRS schools in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra qualified for either IIT-JEE Mains, IIT-JEE Advanced, or the NEET examinations. One official said this was the first time such data had been compiled for EMRS students, adding that in previous years, 'the number would have been in a few dozen'. The EMRS is one of the Tribal Affairs Ministry's flagship schemes and the Union government has in the last five years pushed for major reforms in the administration of these schools, including trying to centralise their running, through setting up the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS). The nearly 600 students who have cleared these entrance exams were coached by coaching centres that have partnered with the NESTS over the last couple of years to provide specific training to students of EMRSs, where tribal students, including students from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups form close to 85% of the student population. Outreach programme In a departure from regular process, a senior government official said the Scholarship Division of the Tribal Affairs Ministry was now looking to start an outreach programme, where all the Ministry's available post-matriculate scholarships for tribal students would be taken to them. 'Usually, they are left to apply for the scholarships themselves. In this case, they have done excellent work, and the Ministry wants to encourage them and give them confidence. So, since both NESTS and scholarships are handled by the Ministry, now the Ministry will track these students and handhold them to get all scholarships they are entitled to,' the official said. According to the evaluation of the performance conducted by the Tribal Affairs Ministry, 218 students qualified for the IIT-JEE Mains examination, with about 25 of them likely to get in at NITs; 34 students cracked the IIT-JEE Advanced, with 18 of them likely to get into IITs; and 344 students cracked the NEET exam, with at least three of them likely to be placed at AIIMS and most others likely to get a seat in elite government medical institutes. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Minister for State Durgadas Uikey held a meeting with NESTS on Tuesday where these results saw both the Ministers praise the efforts of the officials, teachers, and students across EMRSs. They said the scheme, its impact, and its results, needed to be taken to the public. The Tribal Affairs Ministry, through the NESTS, administers over 400 residential schools across the country, where around 1.38 lakh students are currently enrolled.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TN tribal women become taxpayers after generating Rs 1.98 crore through SHG
Union minister of tribal affairs Jual Oram with the tribal women COIMBATORE: A group of tribal women in Thanikandi village in Coimbatore district have become taxpayers after generating an overall turnover of Rs 1.98 crore in the last seven years. Their journey began with an initial working capital of Rs 2,200, forming a self-help group (SHG) that has gained attention and appreciation of Union minister of tribal affairs Jual Oram. In 2018, a group of eleven women in Thanikandi village near Booluvampatti registered an SHG to start a small business in the locality. Each of them invested Rs 200 to start a petty tea stall and a tiffin stall. The shops were established with the support of the Isha Foundation, where they were provided fundamental education on business tactics, savings, banking, profit and loss and other business nuances. It is noteworthy that despite their lack of education, they have shown progress in expanding their business. All these tribal women, who were least connected to urban growth, previously did seasonal jobs like honey harvesting and agriculture for livelihood. According to Isha's tribal welfare team coordinator Chidakasha, the women have helped form nearly eight more SHGs in neighbouring villages and extended support to establish similar businesses like selling bakery items. "Initially, with a collective investment of Rs 2,200, they bought groceries and managed the rest with whatever was available at home, including a kerosene stove. They struggled to pay the initial investment. However, over the years, the situation has drastically changed, and they are now willing to apply for loans and expand their business,' Chidakasha said. He said the annual turnover was Rs 25 lakh in 2018. It reached up to Rs 49 lakh in the financial year 2024-25, making them fall under the eligible taxpayers. 'Though the tax amount is a meagre Rs 400, it is a great leap towards their empowerment. In the current financial year, if their turnover increases further, they will also get registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)," he said. Gayathri P, a member of the SHG who runs a bakery, said, "This helped us improve the standards. The important thing is that we were the first from the village to fly to Chennai four years ago and later took a couple of other villagers along with us to Bengaluru two years ago. All the expenditure was through the profit gained and savings from the business. We run nearly nine tribal shops from our SHG. We have plans for expansion to set up our production unit. "
