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Tribal empowerment programme for Wayanad

PALAKKAD: Wayanad District Collector P.P. Gopi said here on Sunday that the Attappady Hills Area Development Society (AHADS) project in Palakkad district which was successful in empowering the marginalised tribal community and restoring ecology would be implemented in Wayanad.

Mr. Gopi told The Hindu, after a two-day visit to the project areas of Attappady along with senior officials, that he was convinced that “this project should be replicated in Wayanad. We are preparing a plan for Wayanad and will present it to the Japan Bank of International Co-operation which funded the Attappady project.”

He said a large amount of money was spent on tribal development in Wayanad, but it had not reached the target group.

“The tribes are 50 years behind mainstream society,” he said

He said in Wayanad, priority would be given to the empowerment of tribes. The project needed committed officials and the involvement of the tribes in its implementation.

Tribal people have to be educated, motivated and given all assistance to enter the mainstream of society. Though they may not be able to compete with the empowered sections of society now, they should be made aware of their rights, he said.

Wayanad has the largest tribal population of 1.35 lakh in the State.

They are facing the problem of unemployment and housing.

So a sustainable development programme has to be implemented for their welfare with their active participation.

AHADS followed the participatory approach, wherein the involvement of the grass-root level end-users was guaranteed right from planning throughout the implementation, the Collector said.

He said the eco-restoration project implemented by the AHADS in Attappady was a “wonderful work” in an area that was becoming a desert.

It brought back greenery to the area and empowered the tribal community, the Collector added.

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