Lucknow, August 6
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that now the nomadic society will not be forced to wander from place to place. The double-engine government will work with full commitment to ensure they receive the right to a dignified life, connect them with every welfare scheme of governance, and guarantee their holistic development. The Nomadic Development Board is not merely an administrative arrangement, but a powerful medium to deliver justice, respect, and opportunities to the long-neglected liberated and nomadic communities.
Addressing a thanksgiving and felicitation program organized by the community after the state cabinet’s decision to form the Nomadic Development Board, the Chief Minister said that in 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (Together with all, development for all). That resolve is now reaching the last person in society. Without discrimination of caste, region, or language, every eligible person is receiving the benefits of government schemes. The Nomadic Development Board is a new link in this vision.
The Chief Minister said that through the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, the British declared those brave communities as criminals who had played a leading role in India’s freedom struggle. After the First War of Independence in 1857, the British conspired to stigmatize these castes to destroy their social honor. In independent India, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar ended this injustice and gave these communities the honour of being recognized as “liberated castes.” However, adequate efforts for their development were not made for a long time. For the first time, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a national commission was formed for them, and in the same spirit, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to establish the Nomadic Development Board.
The Chief Minister said that during last year’s conference of the nomadic society, the demand for the board’s formation was placed before him, and he had announced it then. Now the process of forming the board has begun. He assured that its formation will be completed soon, and its structure will ensure representation of various nomadic and liberated castes, so their voices reach the government directly and development schemes can be implemented more effectively.
He added that the double-engine government has, for the first time, widely connected marginalized communities such as Van Tangia, Musahar, Tharu, Gaud, Chero, Buksa, Kol, and Sahariya with government schemes. Benefits like ration cards, land leases, housing under Prime Minister and Chief Minister schemes, Ayushman Bharat cards, free electricity and gas connections, and pensions for the elderly, destitute women, and persons with disabilities have been extended to them. The government’s goal is to cover every eligible person under all schemes.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly emphasizes that those whom Congress and Samajwadi Party never cared for, the double-engine government has honored and connected with the mainstream. For the government, people are not just a vote bank but “Janardan” (divine citizens), and with this spirit, development benefits are being delivered to every citizen.