Make use of govt schemes, Tamil Nadu governor appeals to tribals

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi on Friday appealed to tribals to make use of govt schemes for their development and to ensure that their children went to school.

Addressing the villagers of Vilankuppam on Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai district, the governor said they should all be in possession of basic cards like the Aadhaar, Kissan Credit Card, Ayushman Bharat and others. The district administration would be happy to issue tribal cards to them, he said.

He spoke a few words in Tamil and said wanted to speak Tamil fluently like them. He expressed confidence that he would do so.

The governor said there are 10 crore tribal people in the country of which 40 lakh are in particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). “Tribal people have a rich cultural heritage, but they should also develop on a par with the developed regions in the country, because they are very much citizens of this country, like all others,” he said.

Stating that this was his third visit to the village in Veerappanur panchayat, the governor said he would continue visiting the place and would like to see it developed.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the resolve to bring the tribal people on a par with the rest of the country,” he said.

The governor inaugurated a new building at a school run by the Society for Rural Development (SFRD) in Guniganthur.