Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced on Wednesday that the state government will renovate 250 ashram schools with modern amenities, hailing tribals as independence fighters and environmental protectors.
Addressing a function at Jawhar in Palghar district via video link to mark World Tribal Day, Shinde said his government was committed to working towards bringing tribals and the working-class people into the mainstream of development.
Tribals share a close relationship with the land and the environment. They have been protecting the rich natural resources, including forests, in the country for ages, the chief minister said, adding they also made considerable contributions to the freedom movement.
Keeping this in mind, the government is working to provide them with education, employment, and health facilities. The government has decided to renovate 250 ashram shalas (boarding schools) in the state and transform them into model ashram schools, the chief minister said.
In villages where 50 per cent of the population is of tribals, 17 different posts via direct recruitment will be filled from the local tribal population, the CM said.