Gehlot deny any death from hunger in Udaipur

Stories of starvation deaths in Udaipur district are false and politically motivated, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday. The government is providing 25 kg of wheat at the rate of Rs 2 per kg to people below poverty line. Besides, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is there in every village and Rajasthan is the first state in the country to implement this scheme. “The allegation of people dying of hunger is not only false but malicious,” he said. He was responding to questions of reporters during his visit to Udaipur. A few days back, Kirorilal Meena MP had staged a dharna in Udaipur alleging tribals were dying of starvation in Kotara tehsil in the district. Earlier, he inaugurated the fifth national convention of Adivasi Bhil Samaj at Chitrakoot Nagar in Udaipur. The convention was organised by Rajasthan Bhil Samaj Vikas Samiti. Addressing the convention, he said the state government was making all efforts to bring the poor and disadvantaged sections of the society to the mainstream. The government has decided to give land rights to 60,000 tribal families. Out of these, 30,000 families have already been given the pattas (land deeds). Hostels have been built in Jodhpur and other divisional headquarters to provide opportunities of education to the marginalized people. The government has decided to provide high-yielding varieties of seeds and fertilisers to the farmers to increase output, he said. Addressing the convention, Union minister CP Joshi said that policies like food security for all, right to education and programmes like NREGA have changed the face of rural India. Minister for tribal development Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya said the cause of backwardness of tribals is poverty and lack of education. He appealed to the tribal community to abandon the practice of consuming liquor and asked them to take maximum benefits from the policies of the government. Mangilal Garasia, minister of state for sports and education, said there should be a special agriculture policy for peasants with small holdings. The convenor of the convention, Chheetarmal Khant, highlighted the problems of the tribals.