Bhubaneswar: To preserve the rich cultural heritage of tribal communities, Odisha government today distributed musical instruments, dance costumes and ornaments to tribal cultural groups of nine special development council districts on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
Through a video message, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik praised the work of the Special Development Council.
The Minister of ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Class Welfare, Jagannath Saraka distributed materials to 27 organizations from Sundergarh, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri, Koraput, Keonjhar, Kandhamal and Gajapati at a special event held at Lok Seva Bhavan conference room.
A total of 1,891 singing groups have been distributed musical instruments worth Rs 7.49 crore and 818 dance troupes have been given clothes worth Rs 11.63 crore. As many as 67,5000 tribals of 2709 tribal groups will be benefited.
The CM said, “The state government has formed Special Development Councils (SDC) in nine districts to enrich the culture of the tribes. Now, it includes 23 districts. The government has sanctioned Rs 376 crore given to SDC this year. An additional Rs 175.50 crore has been announced to be provided in the next financial year 2023-24. Over 3,000 costumes and musical instruments have been provided to 60 tribal cultural clubs.”
The CM expressed hope that tribal clubs and cultural institutions will take advantage of this and take forward State glory.
Minister Jagannath Saraka said preservation and development of culture is the prime aim of the Chief Minister.” Community development with art, culture and tradition is the objective of the State government. Odisha can reach the pinnacle of success by protecting the culture and tradition.
The Chief Minister has given importance to the protection and development of 8,000 religious places in the state, Saraka Said. Musical instruments, clothes and ornaments are being provided for the development of 1,000 tribal cultural association artistes in the respective districts. More than 2,000 youth clubs have been identified and provision has been made to provide sports equipment to create sports interest among the youth.
