New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said there had been a 70 per cent reduction in the number of left wing extremism affected districts in the country and AFSPA had been lifted from 66 per cent of the northeast due to consistent efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
Shah was speaking at the inauguration of the National Tribal Research Institute and presented a lowdown of the works accomplished by the UPA and NDA government vis-a-vis the sector.
Shah said the BJP government under the PM had managed to achieve wide-ranging development of the northeast and reduce the number of LWE infested districts, both the regions primarily dominated by tribals.
He said the institute would now work on challenges confronting the sector -- issues related to forests, people and land; cultural heritage, legal legacy issues and nutritional aspects of Scheduled Tribes.
The home minister said development follows peace which was why the removal of AFSPA from majority areas in the northeast and massive reduction in the spread of LWE in central India were "key to opening the route for tribal development".
Shah said that after 2019, the government had signed many agreements with tribal sects in the northeast enabling the removal of AFSPA from 66 per cent areas.
"Between 2006 and 2014, during the Congress regime, the northeast saw 8,700 events while during the eight years of Modi government, we had only 1,700 events. In the eight years of Congress rule, 304 security personnel died as against 87 in NDA's eight years," the home minister said adding that civilian deaths fell from 1990 to 217 in the corresponding periods.
Flagging naxal terrorism Shah said that in 2009, there were 2,258 instances of LWE terror as against 509 in 2021 and while 1,005 civilian deaths happened earlier, 147 happened during the NDA regime.
"A secure northeast and safe central Indian naxal-affected areas open the route for tribal welfare," he said.
The minister said the NDA had raised the Eklavya school budget to Rs 1,418 crore this year as against Rs 278 crore during the Congress rule and per student expenditure had been raised from Rs 10,900 to Rs 42,000.
"Tribal children can win top medals in the Olympics. They play by conventions and have to be taught rules through coaching. Eklavya schools are preparing sportspersons," said Shah.
He also flagged that the BJP had maximum Scheduled Tribe MPs and maximum tribal ministers.
He said the Scheduled Tribe scholarships have been raised from Rs 978 crore in 2014 to Rs 2,546 crore.
"Scheduled Tribe Sub plan budget has also gone up from the provision of Rs 21,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 86,000 crore in 2021-22 with 93 per cent already spent.
“Previously, there was no water, no toilet, no health card, no house and no ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi’ for tribals. But now, under Jal Jeevan Mission 1.28 crore STs have received fluoride-free pure water, 8.45 crore ST houses have a toilet, 42 lakh ST families have an Ayushman health card, 40 lakh plus houses have been built for STs and 3 crore ST farmers have received Kisan Samman Nidhi," Amit Shah said adding that the BJP would not have to do anything had the Congress done its work.
The tribal institute coming up at a cost of Rs 10 crore, he said, would serve as a national nodal centre to bring all other tribal research organisations together and will also host the Tribal National Knowledge Centre.
The event was hosted by the Tribal Affairs Ministry in the presence of Union Minister Arjun Munda.