Sonbhadra (UP) Nov 15 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the BJP undertook several welfare measures for the tribal community after it came to power in the state and its benefits were reaching the people.

Addressing a gathering on 'Tribal Pride Day' held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda here, the chief minister said it was a matter of pride for Sonbhadra that of the total 15 tribes listed in the state, 13 lived in the district.

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Sonbhadra is the only district in the entire country where so may tribal castes live together, he claimed.

The programme was organised by All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, affiliated to Seva Samarpan Sansthan, about 125 km away from the district headquarters.

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"After the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, we did many works for the development of tribals and those measures benefitted every section.

"By giving villages the status of revenue villages, the local people were connected with central and state housing schemes with facilities of pucca houses, water, electricity and ration among others," he said.

The chief minister also said his government will provide housing under housing schemes, lease of land under the Forest Rights Act, tap water under 'Har Ghar Nal Yojana' and power supply through solar panels in regions where providing electricity through traditional means was difficult.

Recalling Birsa Munda's contribution, Adityanath said he had a special place in the country's freedom movement.

"We are grateful to the prime minister who recognised November 15 as Tribal Pride Day. This day is a medium to connect with the traditions of the past. Tribals have always connected themselves with Mother Earth and considered themselves her sons," he said.

"They protected, conserved and made enormous contributions to safeguard forests and grow them," he added.

He called upon the functionaries of Seva Samarpan Sansthan to work towards employing tribal people as eco-tourism guides and to also share their knowledge of herbs and other medicinal plants with researchers of Ayurveda.

During the programme, the chief minister distributed land lease papers to some of the tribal community members from 13 districts. The others will get their papers in due course of time, officials said.

Adityanath also inaugurated 55 projects worth Rs 195.50 crore and laid foundation stone for 178 projects worth Rs 339.94 crore.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)