Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports Pramod Madhwaraj has said that the Koraga community was lagging behind in taking advantage of agricultural and horticultural schemes.
He was speaking after inaugurating agricultural facilities for Koraga community, a Scheduled Tribe, at Horlali-Kudi village near Kokkarne in the district, on Wednesday.
Mr. Madhwaraj said the government has already provided land to the Adivasi communities in the district. This was done when the late D. Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister of the State. Devaraj Urs had brought in the Land Reforms Act. This Act had made the tiller of the soil its owner, he said.
The departments of agriculture and horticulture were working towards providing all facilities. The members of the Koraga community should take full advantage of the facilities provided by the government, he added.
The officials of the Horticulture Department had visited the members of the Koraga community and made a list of their demands. Accordingly, every family had been provided with saplings of coconut, jasmine, breadfruit, and seeds of other vegetables to cultivate.
The members of the Koraga community could cultivate these saplings under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, he said.
All efforts would be made to solve the problem of water scarcity in the area in the months of April and May. Those wanting power connections should apply under the Deen Dayal Scheme, he said. On complaints that some of the land given to the members of the Koraga community had been encroached, Mr. Madhawraj said that he asked them to give a written complaint so that action could be taken on it.
M. Sudhakar Shetty, Zilla Panchayat member, Sunita Shetty and Bhujanga Shetty, Taluk Panchayat members, Ashalatha, President of Gram Panchayat, and others were present.
