The state government is developing a welfare plan for these niche communities to improve their living conditions, education and employment
Lucknow,UPDATED: November 3, 2022 8:27 PM IST
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
By Prashant Srivastava: The government of Yogi Adityanath, which focuses on transforming the lives of disadvantaged communities in Uttar Pradesh, has prepared an action plan to address the needs of the communities of Musahar, Sahariya and Vantangia. Officials have been asked to create welfare plans and professional training for these communities to empower them economically.
According to the Cabinet of the Prime Minister (CMO), the government will not only create housing facilities for these communities, but also provide for their employment needs, in addition to improving their education and basic living conditions. “Officials have been instructed to provide them homes under Prime Minister Awas Yojana, for which land will be allocated through the revenue department, and help these communities set up businesses near their homes,” said an official in the CMO. “Members of these communities will also be involved in the MGNREGA scheme – work cards will be issued through a dedicated campaign.”
In addition, the enrollment of children from these target groups in schools will be guaranteed, with provision for scholarships. The UP government will provide free training through district-level skills development institutions to adult members of the disadvantaged communities, under the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Swarojgar Yojana.
Musahar community members broadly live in 18 districts of UP-Maharajganj, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Ballia, Kushinagar, Jaunpur, Deoria, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Chandauli, Mau, Pratapgarh , Sonbhadra and Sultanpur. According to the 2011 census, the total population of Musahar community in UP is over 200,000.
Lalitpur district is home to a large population of Sahariyas. Their total population is about 70,000. Community members make baskets of wood, collect vine leaves and sell herbs to support themselves.
The Vantangias live in the districts of Gorakhpur, Balrampur, Bahraich, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri and Maharajganj. Their total population is about 40,000. The Vantangiyas have lived in forest villages in Gorakhpur and Maharajganj districts for more than a century, but the community complains that they are disadvantaged and overlooked.
Adityanath had this year celebrated Diwali with Vantangias. He laid the foundation of 233 development projects, worth Rs 80 crore, in the Vantangia village of Jungle Tinkonia No. 3 in Gorakhpur. The community has been a huge focus since Adityanath became Prime Minister in 2017. Vantangia villages are now registered under the income system and are connected to the panchayat system.