Gadchiroli Nov. 22 (District Correspondent) Senior tribal leader and poetess Kusum Alam met the Congress President Rahul Gandhi recently during his bharat jodo yatra in Maharashtra and submitted him a memorandum regarding tribal issues.
During this visit Ms. Alam also presented a poem ‘Gandhi tu beej hai- Zameen me dafnao aur panpega’ on Mahtma Gandhi which was appreciated by Mr. Rahul Gandhi.
The issues raised by Ms. Alam in her memorandum included- implementation of the Fifth and Sixth Schedules in the Constitution for tribals, proper implementation of PESA Act, strengthening PESA Gram Sabhas, implementation of Forest Rights Act and MGNREGA, withdrawal of Forest Rights Rules Amendment, excavation of mines through mining corporation instead of private companies.
The memorandum also included the demands to start a pension scheme for single tribal women, naming tribal schemes after tribal revolutionaries, social reformers, providing business opportunities to tribal women, political participation of tribal women to 50%, making policies to stop rampant sexual abuse in tribal ashram schools, hostels, appointing teachers for all subjects is a matter of utmost importance, to reduce female child malnutrition rate in tribal areas.
To make provision for raising the educational level with new facilities, , oppressive conditions directly affecting tribal women due to various new laws of forest department should be relaxed, the largest tribal culture museum in the country should be established at Nagpur, emphasis should be given on tribal culture, identity, knowledge, history, tradition, employment generation and various other training, stopping infiltration of bogus tribals, Surjagad Mining issue in Gadchiroli, raising memorial of Late Baburaoji Madavi, Architect of the district at Gadchiroli etc. Mr. Gandhi assured Ms. Alam to look into the issues.
Photo Ms. Kusum Alam speaking to Rahul Gandhi.
