Tripura to determine tribal clan wise population

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

Agartala, May 23: Tripura government is planning to have a fresh survey to determine clan wise

population of states 19 Tribal clans. Apart from determining their number the survey also will try to identify their area of interest which will be the basis of all future planning for tribal development in the state. This was revealed during a review meeting on the performance of the tribal development projects and plans presided by the Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Addressing the meeting he said, “Before preparing plan for tribal development we must identify which clan of the tribal is interested in which trade and having expertise. It will ensure easy acceptability of the project by the tribesman and a sustaible development.” He urged to adopt a new outlook in preparing tribal development plan and instructed the officials to complete the survey within next two to three months. He said three tribal development projects have been implemented during last 16 years and now we are to identify the gaps remained that deprived us of optimum success. The Chief Minister said that after the survey was filised the matter will be reviewed in the highest level and new projects of three to five years tenure will be undertaken and some other matter should also be included in the survey, like the areas of the clan’s habitation, present infrastructure available in the area, number of landless and homeless families, their economic standard and level of education. He stressed special emphasis on rehabilitation of about 15,000 families who are fully dependent on Jhum or shifting cultivation. He further said that the re-group villages should be established to rehabilitate the Jhumias where all facilities, including ways for their earning livelihoods should be there.