Kangra MP urges Centre to amend tribal sub-plan norms

Our Correspondent

Chamba, December 17

Kangra Lok Sabha MP Kishan Kapoor has requested the Central Government to amend the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) norms so that only the people belonging to the community can avail of the benefits of the budget earmarked for tribal areas.

He said that the budget allocation for the tribal sub-plan in Himachal was done on the basis of percentage in the past many years, which needs to be amended. Kapoor expressed these views at the meeting of the Consultative Committee of Tribal Parliamentarians held under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs in New Delhi on Wednesday.

He said that the problems of the people of Bharmaur, Pangi, Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur tribal areas were different from those of the tribal areas of other states. The tribal people of Himachal were deprived of basic facilities due to difficult geographical conditions, he added.

He said that it was the responsibility of the government to provide facilities useful for these people. He stressed employment generating programmes in tribal areas so that livelihood opportunities could be made available at the local level itself.

Kapoor said that such programmes of employment generation at the local level could also solve the problem of migration of youths from tribal areas. He urged the government to fill vacant posts reserved for tribal candidates at the earliest.