Visakhapatnam: Tribal Affairs secretary assures basic facilities

Visakhapatnam: Secretary of Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs Anil Kumar Jha has assured the people of Palamamidi, an adivasi tribal village in Visakhapatnam, of providing all basic facilities.

Wading through waters, the Central official along with secretary of Tribal Welfare Department Kantilal Dande visited the village on Tuesday and interacted with the tribal people.

The officials, who reached Downur in the morning, trekked over four-km and crossed a rivulet to reach the remote hamlet.

When the tribals complained that they have no facilities such as road connectivity, power supply, school building and safe drinking water, Jha responded positively and assured them of providing the amenities. When ITDA Project Officer RonankiGopalakrishna brought to his notice the travails of villagers who carry pregnant women in doli (makeshift stretchers) to hospitals, he said steps would be taken to address the issue.

Jha earlier visited the Tribal Welfare Residential School at Downur and expressed satisfaction over the works taken up under the Nadu Nedu programme. He also paid a visit to the village secretariat and primary health centre in the hamlet. The Secretary of Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs exhorted the staff there to plant saplings that have medicinal properties on the hospital premises.Meanwhile, a representation was given by the representatives of Non-Scheduled Area GirijanaSangham to Jha, appealing to him to exclude Non-Scheduled tribal villages from the purview of the VMRDA.