The current central government is doing all it can to pay attention to tribal communities and the issues closest to them, thus overcoming decades of neglect, Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog, Suman Bery, said today.
Bery admitted that tribals have not always been well-supported through national schemes. He said this while reacting to the demand of autonomous district councils in the state for direct funding from the Centre, instead of routing the monies through the state governments.
Niti Aayog, Bery said, must take into consideration tribal-level issues so that its development agenda leaves no one behind.
“If you want a development strategy that leaves no one behind then you have to worry about the 200 million tribal population,” he said.
However, as far as funding the district councils is concerned, Bery said that this is a matter of their respective state governments and not the Centre.
