Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren urges tribals to educate children, says illiteracy behind backwardness

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday urged the tribal community to ensure education of their children, saying the government was making all possible efforts to reduce their financial burden. The CM said tribal martyrs such as Birsa Munda, Sido-Kanho, Chand Bhairav and Poto Ho sacrificed their lives fighting the British to protect tribal interests, and it is the communitys responsibility to build Jharkhand as they had envisioned.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday urged the tribal community to ensure education of their children, saying the government was making all possible efforts to reduce their financial burden. Addressing a public meeting after paying tributes to tribal martyrs led by Poto Ho, who sacrificed their lives fighting the British in 1837 to protect the tribal jal, jungle, jameen (water, forest and land) in Serengsia Ghati of West Singhbhum, Soren said tribals have been exploited for decades due to social, economic and political weakness. ''The reason behind our backwardness and weakness was illiteracy,'' he said, while emphasising the need for education among the children of the community. Referring to various schemes of the state government, including Savitri Bai Phule Kishori Samridhi Yojna and Guruji Credit card, the CM said the schemes were aimed to reduce the financial burden of poor parents, so that their childen can pursue their studies uninterrupted. ''The government has even started a free residential coaching centre for poor students to prepare themselves for competitive examinations,'' he said. ''Why don't we have a single judge from our community even though we may have few lawyers? As our lands are being grabbed, we need tribal judges to understand Chotanagpur and Santhal Paragana Tenancy Acts and protect our lands,'' he said. The CM said tribal martyrs such as Birsa Munda, Sido-Kanho, Chand Bhairav and Poto Ho sacrificed their lives fighting the British to protect tribal interests, and it is the community's responsibility to build Jharkhand as they had envisioned. Referring to his Assam visit on Sunday, Soren said he was surprised to see the same tribals being treated differently in different parts of the country. He claimed that the Assam government had categorised hundreds of adivasis from Jharkhand, Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, who were taken by the British decades ago at gunpoint to work in tea gardens, as 'Other Backward Class', while in other parts of the country they are classified as Scheduled Tribe. Alleging that tribals in Assam were subjected to frequent torture by the state government, Soren said he visited the Northeast state on the invitation of the poor tribals and was disappointed to know their plight. The CM said the visit made him understand why his father and JMM supremo Shibu Soren used to visit the Northeast and extend support to the community. He assured that tribals of Jharkhand stand with them in their struggle and would try to assist them in every possible way. Attacking the opposition BJP, Soren said Jharkhand has completed 25 years, but most of this period was ruled by those who opposed the creation of the state. ''The BJP, which ruled the state for a major period since Jharkhand was formed, has worsened the situation,'' he alleged. He claimed the BJP had made tall promises during the 2014 polls but forgot them after coming to power. Earlier, Soren laid the foundation and inaugurated 197 development projects worth over Rs 398 crore and distributed assets worth over Rs 637 crore to beneficiaries. He also handed over appointment letters to 1,489 youths of the district.

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