Pranab against acquisition of tribal land

BEHRAMPORE, Dec. 30 : Expressing concern over evicting tribal population from their own land, veteran Congress leader and union external affairs minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee today said that despite having parliamentary legislation that prohibited tribal land transfer, the tribes were losing their land in many parts of the country as the state government hardly took action against such illegal activity. 


The state governments need to stop acquisition of tribal land and ensure that the tribes’ right to minor forest products gets protected, he said. Mr Mukherjee also pointed out that many state governments could not utilise the tribal development funds released by the Central government. Especially, in the field of education, the tribal population lagged behind due to the failure of state governments to make the most of tribal development projects, he said. He also reminded the state government to set up schools, colleges and hostels for tribal students to enhance their skills in modern technology and education. After all, the government must make full utilisation of money allotted for the development of the tribes, he said. 


The Congress leader today attended a tribal sports and cultural programme at Chanak village of Nabagram block in Jangipur, his Lok Sabha constituency.