Tribal Welfare Minister Omkar Singh Markam has said that strict action will be taken if cent percent of the amount of tribal sub-plan is not used under various schemes in 89 blocks of the State this year.

Minister Markam was addressing a meeting of the officers of various departments at the Mantralaya on Wednesday.

Principal Secretary Deepali Rastogi was also present in the meeting. An allotment of about Rs 33 thousand 466 crore has been given in the tribal sub-plan this year to various departments.

Markam said that the basic objective of the tribal sub-plan is to increase the economic status of tribal families and to provide basic amenities in tribal-dominated villages. Along with this, connecting the tribal-dominated villages to the main roads is also the priority of the state government. With these objectives in mind, 21.10 percent amount in proportion to the scheduled tribe population has been earmarked in the budget of the state for the tribal sub-plan. Minister Markam point wise reviewed the budget allocated in the tribal sub-plan for the year 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 and the expenditure incurred by the department.

He sought information from the officials of various departments on the action plan prepared for utilising the allocated amount in the year 2019-20.

Markam instructed the Department of Social Welfare for the construction of Mahila Ashrams to accommodate elderly women and to prepare a scheme to run these ashrams in tribal areas.

Shri Markam said that by organizing tribal youth through cooperatives, they can be provided better employment opportunities.

He said that there is a need to increase the activities of animal husbandry and fisheries in tribal-dominated areas. Apart from this, he also stressed on creating employment opportunities through Khadi and cottage industries.