Tribals call off march to Maharashtra secretariat after govt assurances

Nearly 49,000 tribal protesters from Maharashtra’s Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Nashik districts have called off their march towards the state secretariat in Mumbai after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured them of action on their demands.

The protesters had set out from Bhiwandi in Thane district on Tuesday afternoon as part of the Samvidhan Hakk Sangharsh Morcha, led by Shramjeevi Sanghatna founder Vivek Pandit.

The demonstrators were demanding free, quality and skill-oriented education for tribal students up to the age of 18, dedicated educational complexes in every taluka, the settlement of pending forest rights claims under the Forest Rights Act and clean drinking water in tribal hamlets, among other measures.

A delegation of the Shramjeevi Sanghatana, which works for tribal rights, met Fadnavis on Tuesday. The chief minister directed officials to prepare time-bound action plans and expedite measures concerning education, forest rights, rehabilitation, water supply and Aadhaar registration.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the guardian minister for Thane, arrived in the district late on Tuesday night and addressed the protesters at the Kharigaon toll plaza. He informed them about several government resolutions (GRs) issued to address their demands.

Shinde said he had never witnessed so many GRs being issued in a single day, describing the development as a victory for the protesters and their leadership. He handed over copies of the resolutions to Pandit, following which the demonstrators withdrew the march.

During the earlier meeting, Fadnavis said the Shramjeevi Sanghatana and the Samarthan organisation would be involved in preparing the Viksit Bharat 2047 Vision Document. Suggestions from various organisations would also be considered while preparing a separate development plan for tribal communities.

The chief minister said a positive decision would be taken after examining the proposal to provide free and compulsory education to tribal students up to the age of 18.

He also directed officials to provide free tuition and adequate scholarships, fill vacant posts in Ashram and residential schools, and ensure classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls, and sports facilities in Zilla Parishad schools.

A special campaign will run until 15 December to settle eligible claims under the Forest Rights Act. Fadnavis directed officials to ensure that all eligible individual and community claims approved by village-level committees are settled and that no claim remains pending.