S.C. Basavaraju, Chairman of Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, said on Friday that the corporation would give priority to constructing a community hall for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Udupi district. He told reporters that ST representatives had sought construction of a community hall for them.
They had also sought waiver of loans taken by the large-scale Adivasi Multi-Purpose Societies. The corporation would take up this matter with the Ministry of Cooperation.
Some tribals had sought disposal of applications pending with the authorities under the Forest Rights Act. Some other tribals had sought payment for rehabilitation from the Kudremukh National Park area.
Udupi district had achieved 50 per cent progress in the implementation of Special Component Plan, and 75 per cent progress in implementing the Tribal Sub Plan.
Since there was no off-take of loans meant for Scheduled Tribes women’s self-help groups in the district, he had directed the district administration to identify women’s SHGs as soon as possible.
The corporation had waived loans worth Rs. 1.32 crore of people who could not repay them till May 13, 2013. Under the self-employment project, Rs. 3.92 lakh had been spent on 243 beneficiaries since 2007-08. Under the entrepreneurship development programme, various facilities worth Rs. 20.95 lakh were provided to 28 beneficiaries in the last seven years.
Since widows and disabled persons from tribal communities were not getting bank loans, the corporation decided to give Rs. 25,000 subsidised loan to them ‘Asare’ in all 224 Assembly constituencies. A proposal regarding the ‘Asare’ scheme had been sent to the government for its approval. The corporation had also sought Rs. 2 crore grant from National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation for skill development of unemployed tribal youth. Rs. 1 crore has been set aside for this project.
