Bhubaneswar : Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare, School and Mass Education and Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Minister Shri Nityananda Gond today chaired the two-day State Level Conference of District Welfare Officers (DWOs) and PA-ITDAs and asked for war footing actions to facilitate work for infrastructure development of 450 hostels of residential schools, to develop 100-seated hostels in areas sans hostels for ST and SC students, execution of Parichiti Scheme at 99 schools across the state to create awareness about tribal students on their own art, culture and languages and provisioning of tutors for hostels under Anwesha scheme to facilitate English medium education among ST and SC students.
The Minister, while attending the first day of the conference at SC,ST Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), also called upon the DWOs to be alert and work dedicatedly for the academic and intellectual development of the tribal kids and above all, ensuring better health and hygiene and ensure that mosquito nets are supplied to every kid staying in a residential hostel across Odisha as malaria and dengue have once again trying to spread their tentacles.
Saying that for a “Vikshit Odisha” and a people-friendly government, as conceived by Chief Minister Sri Mohan Charan Majhi, it is pertinent for all to have the willingness to work for the people’s requirements and demands, the Minister also advised the district-level officials to take on the hard tasks with enough willpower so that good things could be delivered down the line in a quicker way.
The Minister also unveiled three books, i.e. “Lets Talk Safety” on good and bad touch and awareness among the girl boarders on teenage pregnancies and other issues (guidelines for headmasters), “Tribal Cuisines of Odisha” on the rich culinary traditions of the tribal and PVTG communities of Odisha and “Documentation of Good Practices” of SCSTRTI, all published by the ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department.
The state-level conference, moderated by Commissioner-cum-Secretary ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Smt Roopa Roshan Sahoo, dealt with the amenities and entitlements in residential schools and hostels, HR issues relating to staffing pattern and the problems faced by the institutions, students’ admission, EMRS, ANWESHA, issues faced by boarders in hostels for girls and boys, utilization of funds, untoward incidents, their tracking and monitoring, coordination between ITDAs, government line departments and Central PSU who have taken the construction work for infrastructure development, district-level review meetings and gap analysis.
The Minister also asked the officials not to compromise with quality for amenities, facilities, entitlements and infrastructure development and also emphasised utilization of use of neglected buildings as they are rotting without proper use and care.
Calling for a gap analysis for the requirement of a local ST or SC community where there is no residential educational institution and simultaneously at some places where there is more than the requirements, the Minister also emphasised prompt action on filling up of posts of teachers, matrons, ANM and cook-cum-attendants at different residential schools across Odisha so that the students will have a safe and comfortable stay and better educational environment at the respective institutions.
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