West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced plans for a tribal university in Jhargram and laid the foundation for 137 development projects worth Rs 274.43 crore in the district, while stating that forest land titles had been issued to 770 tribal people.
Speaking at an event in Jangalmahal on the 151st birth anniversary of tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda, Adhikari said the state had collected data required to issue titles across 1,237 enlisted forest villages. He also pledged to address tribal communities’ concerns over language, culture and land rights.
“We will fulfil your aspirations concerning language, culture and land rights,” Adhikari told the gathering. Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary is observed nationwide as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
The chief minister said members of the Sabar community would receive benefits under state schemes for particularly vulnerable tribal groups, although the community is not listed under the national programme. He said all eligible recipients of the Lokprasar Shilpi allowance would be enlisted by December 31 and promised to increase the allowance in the next state budget.
Adhikari also announced plans to establish a tribal university in Jhargram and upgrade government hospital infrastructure in the district. He said the government’s responsibility included ensuring that educated young people received employment opportunities according to their eligibility.
The foundation stone was laid for 137 projects in Jhargram, including 73 roads, nine school development works and eight hostels. The projects have a combined value of Rs 274.43 crore, according to the report.
A further 51 projects valued at Rs 47.59 crore were inaugurated at the event. These included 13 roads, 10 anganwadi centres and six school development projects. Together, the foundation-laying and inauguration announcements cover projects worth Rs 322.02 crore across roads, education, childcare and related public infrastructure.
The announcements place land rights and public-service delivery alongside political commitments on tribal welfare. Forest titles are linked to the recognition of eligible rights in forest villages, while the proposed university and hospital upgrades would expand the district’s education and health infrastructure. The supplied report does not provide a construction timeline, site details, funding structure or implementing agency for the university or hospital works.
Adhikari said 73 people had been apprehended for allegedly securing Scheduled Tribe certificates by falsely claiming tribal status. He also accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of issuing certificates to people who did not belong to tribal communities and said the government would prevent such cases from recurring.
He referred to the Centre’s decision to observe Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas from 2021 and said Droupadi Murmu became India’s first tribal woman President during the Narendra Modi government’s tenure. He also claimed that the state ministry had more tribal ministers than any previous ministry since Independence and thanked tribal voters for electing BJP candidates from 16 Scheduled Tribe-reserved assembly constituencies.
The immediate implementation milestones announced at the event are the enrolment of eligible Lokprasar Shilpi allowance beneficiaries by December 31 and the proposed increase in the allowance in the next state budget. Further details on the tribal university, hospital upgrades and the individual infrastructure projects were not specified in the supplied report.
