KOZHIKODE: The Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC) will implement a new social empowerment scheme for tribal women in Chakkittappara panchayat, where lack of self-employment opportunities has been identified as a major hurdle for growth. The new scheme, to be launched on November 19, aims at training tribal women in various trades.
As previous surveys by various government and non-governmental agencies had found ‘poor health’ as an issue of concern in various settlements, the KSWDC will launch a health protection scheme covering lactating mothers as well as children below the age of five. They will be offered free treatment and nutritious food in the first phase of the scheme. According to KSWDC officials, the beneficiaries will be trained in various self-employment trades with focus on traditional knowledge.
Besides, an integrated skill development centre will be set up in the panchayat on an experimental basis as part of the initiative, they said.
Along with the KSWDC, community policing schemes of the Kozhikode rural police too will come to the aid of settlements. They have already selected tribal coordinators from various settlements to ensure support from community members.
Rural police officials said the education of tribal children would be the priority area of community policing schemes for tribal settlements.
According to them, no student will quit school owing to financial constraints, as efforts will be taken to address such issues.
Under the additional tribal sub-plan, the Department for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes will invest ₹2 crore this fiscal to address the developmental concerns of select tribal colonies in the district. They said around 80 families would benefit from the Hamlet Development Scheme.
