Latest news with #TribalWelfareDepartment
India Today
30-06-2025
- General
- India Today
Andhra's remote tribal hamlet gets road, school after India Today report
Days after India Today highlighted the plight of the Solubongu tribal hamlet in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Seetharamaraju district, officials swung into action. The district administration visited the remote village, took cognisance of the issues, and initiated road construction work. A special school for the village has also been tribal residents, who had long struggled with poor connectivity, broke into laughter and celebrated with traditional Dinsa dances, thanking officials for their swift District Collector of Alluri Seetharamaraju district personally visited Solubongu and oversaw the road work from Veerabhadrapet to the village. Officials from the Tribal Welfare Department and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan also visited the hamlet. Solubongu, located under Anantagiri mandal's Pinnikota panchayat, is home to 16 families of the Nuka Dora tribe, with a population of years, 12 children from the village had to cross the three-kilometre Raiwada reservoir by boat and then walk another two kilometres to reach Thamarabba MPP School. This posed serious risks, especially during illnesses and tribals welcomed the officials with flower garlands and felicitated them. As part of immediate relief, Araku Tribal Welfare EE Venugopal Rao sanctioned Rs 3 crore for constructing a gravel road to the village. The work was ceremoniously launched by local elders breaking coconuts and offering prayers to Dippala Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan District Coordinator Dr. R Swaminaidu announced that the Collector had ordered the establishment of a special school in Solubongu. An educational volunteer was appointed to start classes immediately, and five children from Classes 3, 4, and 5 will also be enrolled at Pinnikota Tribal Welfare School starting said they would provide clothes, needles, books, and other facilities for the children. The villagers said that due to the efforts made in the media, 'new lights have come to our village' and that 'even today we celebrated as if we had complete independence.'They added, 'Our situation is that we have to go on a three-kilometer boat when we get fever and tie a drum from there. Our children are always living in a situation where they are worried about what will happen.'- Ends IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
NDTV
27-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Waiting For A Promotion? In Chhattisgarh Department, 11 Dead People Got One
Some people spend years waiting for a promotion, doing everything they can to be eligible for one: from working long hours to being extra nice to the boss. But here, the dead have been promoted, with - obviously - no effort on their part. A recruitment scam has surfaced in Chhattisgarh's Tribal Welfare Department, where not only were more candidates appointed than advertised, but 11 dead employees also got promotions, 10 years after the initial recruitment process. In 2013, the Tribal Welfare Department advertised 559 vacancies for Class IV positions, but ended up appointing 605 candidates. According to the terms, newly hired employees were to be paid a collector-grade salary only after three years of employment. However, from the very first day, they began receiving a sum of Rs 10,890 per month instead of the Rs 4,943 they were entitled to. It took 16 months before officials noticed the irregularities, and the state had already suffered a loss of over Rs 5.7 crore by then. A decade later, when the department moved to regularise the employees, 11 of those listed had already died, but their names appeared in the promotion list. These included: Phulkumari - Died: May 22, 2021; Ganesh Ram - Died: November 18, 2016; Parakhit Kumar - Died: September 11, 2017; Champa Chauhan - Died: December 2, 2018; Rakesh Sidar - Died: May 2019; Gulab Banjare - Died: April 19, 2021; Ajit Toppo - Died: July 5, 2017; Sitaram Rathia - Died: February 17, 2020; Rekha Sidar - Died: February 7, 2021; Jitendra Sidar - Died: October 7, 2020; Dayaram - Died: July 7, 2018. Following a complaint, the department launched an internal investigation that confirmed several discrepancies. As a result, Raigarh's then Assistant Commissioner, Avinash Shrivas, was suspended. However, no further action was taken, and the case was put in cold storage until it was raised in the state Assembly. This prompted a second investigation order on April 9 this year. The Congress has accused the BJP of institutionalised corruption. "The recruitment process took place under the BJP government. Complaints at the time have now been proven. The BJP's main business is give-and-take deals," said Congress Spokesperson Dhananjay Thakur. The BJP, however, dismissed the incident as a clerical mistake. "This is not corruption, just a human error. The government has acted as soon as it came to light," said BJP Spokesperson Rajiv Chakraborty.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Dropped from Goa Cabinet after alleging graft in CM-led dept., Gaude ratchets up attack
Sacked Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, who had alleged corruption in the Tribal Welfare Department headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, on Sunday said he would not resign as MLA or quit BJP and continue to work for tribal people. Addressing a public rally at Marcel village, Mr. Gaude said he has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, and President Droupadi Murmu informing them about 'happenings in the coastal State'.The tribal leader was sacked from the Sawant Cabinet on Wednesday, almost a month after he alleged corruption in the Tribal Welfare Department. Mr. Gaude said he would not resign as an MLA or from the BJP membership. 'I had not joined the BJP to resign from the party. I will stay with the party and help PM Modi achieve his dream of Viksit Bharat 2047,' he added. Mr. Gaude claimed he was not allowed to meet the party brass, including Mr. Nadda, during the last three-and-a-half years. 'Now, I know why they did it,' he added. He claimed Mr. Sawant had called him over the phone and asked him to resign due to 'pressure from Mr. Nadda'. 'Mr. Sawant told me that there was pressure from Mr. Nadda and asked me to resign. But he [Mr. Sawant] later told the media that it was his decision (to remove me from the Cabinet),' Mr. Gaude alleged. 60-year struggle Mr. Gaude said tribals in Goa have been struggling for justice for the last 60 years. 'I am fighting for their rights. Their demands should have been discussed, not the statement that I made about inefficiency and corruption in the Tribal Welfare department,' the former Minister said. He added that he would send copies of his speech to BJP leaders in Delhi to prevent wrong interpretation or narrative.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tribal student from Pachamalai Hills in Tamil Nadu secures seat in law university
S. Bharath, a 17-year-old from a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community at Thonur village in Pachamalai Hills of Tiruchi district, has secured a seat in the Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) after topping the list of students from 28 Government Tribal Residential Schools in the State who appeared for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). His achievement earned him a congratulatory message from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday (June 7, 2025). In a message on X, the Chief Minister said he hoped Mr. Bharath would use his training as a lawyer to help his community. He also said the student would have the support of the DMK's legal wing, and the mentorship of its secretary N.R. Elango till the completion of his studies. Mr. Bharath studied at the Government Tribal Higher Secondary School in Chinna Illupur and secured an all-India ST rank of 964. He secured admission to the B. Com, LLB (Hons) course at TNNLU through the 7.5% reservation for ST government school students in Tamil Nadu. He lost his mother at an early age, and is the eldest of three siblings. Mr. Bharath's father A. Selvakumar is a daily wage labourer. 'This is a milestone for Bharath, as it shows his capability in a competitive academic field. It will inspire future generations of our students to join the country's legal profession. We hope he will utilise his education to contribute to the welfare of the tribal community,' P. Arjuselvam, headmaster of the school run by the Tribal Welfare Department, told The Hindu. The school has 185 students from the tribal community, and has been encouraging them to take competitive exams in various fields for the past two years. Mr. Bharath secured the TNNLU seat in the second round of counselling, and got it confirmed at the student help desk at Government Model Higher Secondary School in Thuvakudi on June 4. He completed Class 12 in the Commerce stream, scoring 356 out of 600, and scored 353 out of 500 in Class 10 — both in Tamil medium. He was one of six students who prepared for the English-medium CLAT with the help of coaching classes conducted in partnership with private institutions, facilitated by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, and an orientation programme held at TNNLU before the exam. The total cost of his law degree, including the seat-confirming fee of ₹20,000, will be sponsored by the department.
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tribal student from Pachamalai Hills earns kudos for admission to law university
S. Bharath, a 17-year-old from a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community in Thonur village in Pachamalai Hills, has secured a seat in the Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) after topping the list of students from 28 Government Tribal Residential Schools in the State who appeared for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). His achievement earned him a congratulatory message from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday. In a message on X, the Chief Minister said he hoped Mr. Bharath would use his training as a lawyer to help his community. He also said the student would have the support of the DMK's legal wing, and the mentorship of its secretary N.R. Elango till the completion of his studies. Mr. Bharath studied at the Government Tribal Higher Secondary School in Chinna Illupur and secured an all-India ST rank of 964. He secured admission to the B. Com, LLB (Hons) course at TNNLU through the 7.5% reservation for ST government school students in Tamil Nadu. He lost his mother at an early age, and is the eldest of three siblings. Mr. Bharath's father A. Selvakumar is a daily wage labourer. 'This is a milestone for Bharath, as it shows his capability in a competitive academic field. It will inspire future generations of our students to join the country's legal profession. We hope he will utilise his education to contribute to the welfare of the tribal community,' P. Arjuselvam, headmaster of the school run by the Tribal Welfare Department, told The Hindu. The school has 185 students from the tribal community, and has been encouraging them to take competitive exams in various fields for the past two years. Mr. Bharath secured the TNNLU seat in the second round of counselling, and got it confirmed at the student help desk at Government Model Higher Secondary School in Thuvakudi on June 4. He completed Class 12 in the Commerce stream, scoring 356 out of 600, and scored 353 out of 500 in Class 10 — both in Tamil medium. He was one of six students who prepared for the English-medium CLAT with the help of coaching classes conducted in partnership with private institutions, facilitated by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, and an orientation programme held at TNNLU before the exam. The total cost of his law degree, including the seat-confirming fee of ₹20,000, will be sponsored by the department.
