The rate of expansionof education among the scheduled tribes in Uttarakhand is better than the national average, Union Tribal Welfare Minister Arjun Munda said on Wednesday.
On a visit to Dehradun to inaugurate the newly built Tribal Research and Culture Centre and Museum here, Munda praised the state government for what it had done for the all round development of the tribal areas in Uttarakhand and promised his ministry's total support for the implementation of tribal welfare programmes in the state.
The institute will help preserve the cultural heritage of tribals, their value system and ethics at the national level so that the coming generations could be proud of them, he said.
Underlining the need for further expansion of education in tribal areas,he said a micro plan should be drawn for the tribes living in forest areas.
The Union minister also emphasised upon the need to conserve tribes which were on the verge of extinction.
Highlighting the the state government's efforts for the welfare of tribal areas, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat saidit was a matter of pride for Uttarakhand that 13 students of Eklavya School at Kalsi in Dehradun district had qualified for admission to some of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the country.
He also spoke of the meal allowance for the SC/ST students being hiked from Rs 3000 per month to Rs 4500.