Adivasi Maha Sabha flays ST department at golden jubilee fete in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the Scheduled Tribes development department celebrated its golden jubilee on Saturday, a key group that should benefit from the department protested in Thiruvananthapuram, citing the departments shortcomings. Close to 60 members of the Adivasi Mahasabha (AMS) protested before the Secretariat, stating that the department is unable to address their basic concerns, including roads, houses and stipend for students. According to Adivasi Maha Sabha president Mohanan Triveni, even drinking water is unavailable to many of them. There are people who travel from 5-20 kilometres to get clean drinking water, he said. Highlighting that roads have been built only on random stretches, he said, Many of the government schemes are being implemented in our hamlets without getting the nod from the oorukoottam. Backdoor appointments have become a regular occurrence, where they take the jobs which are rightfully ours. Tribal people, whose traditional homes have been dismantled for the promise of a new home, are now homeless in various parts of the state due to little progress in the construction work, he said. Speaking about the school education, Mohanan said that the quality of education in model residential schools for ST communities is very low. While the number of ST students scoring more marks is higher in other government schools, why is it lower in these model schools, he asked. Mohanan further said, Stipends, lump sum grants and hostel fees for students studying in government and self-financing institutions have not been disbursed by the government. The certificates of hundreds of students from self-financing colleges had been withheld by their management due to this. He also pointed out that even the hostels for ST students are poorly maintained.