Illegal encroachment on tribal lands would be removed: Sonowal

Guwahati: Reiterating that the state's tribal society needs to be uplifted from illiteracy and poverty, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said that all illegal encroachment on lands of tribals would be removed and the rights of these sons of the soil would be upheld at any cost.

Speaking at the release of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram's (ABVKA) Vision Document at the Lions Club Auditorium here, he said this organisation has been doing commendable job in highlighting issues of the tribal society and the Vision Document would go a long way in helping the government to formulate ways for tribal uplift.

Sonowal said that tribal people live in difficult socio-economic conditions and factors like illiteracy and poverty have halted their development process. 

"Taking advantage of their poverty and illiteracy, tribal people have been reduced in their own homeland and illegal migrants have encroached on their lands," he said adding that the government is determined to bring the tribal people of the state at par with other communities.

Sonowal also said that taking advantage of their weaker socio-economic status, anti-social elements like terrorist organisations are luring away some of the tribal youth of the state and that this scenario would not be allowed to continue.

"Both Central and State Governments have been working towards making an inclusive society where rights of all communities are upheld and benefits of the government schemes reach all the people cutting across all barriers," he added.

Sonowal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana, etc. are all aimed to make the dream of inclusive society a reality.

He said the ABVKA Vision Document would help the government in implementing tribal welfare schemes in the coming days as extensive research has gone into it to highlight all the issues and concerns of the tribal society.