New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) The government was giving special attention to the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections by coming out with programmes that benefit them, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday.
“Our government has paid special attention to the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other weaker sections,” the prime minister said in his Independence Day speech.
“The special needs of our tribal and backward districts are being met through programmes such as the Integrated Action Plan, Backward Regions Grant Fund and Tribal Sub Plan,” he said from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Through the Forest Rights Act, he said, proprietary rights had been given to lakhs of people belonging to Scheduled Tribes on land on which they have been living for generations.
“We are formulating a scheme to ensure that people belonging to Scheduled Tribes can get fair and remunerative prices for the forest produce they collect,” he added.
“The government wants to speedily convert the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill into a legislation. Through this law we want to provide funds for the benefit of our tribal brothers and sisters in the mining areas,” he said.
