Jharkhand is set to become the second state in India to have a dedicated university for tribal students on the lines of India’s first Indira Gandhi Tribal University in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh.
Chief minister Raghubar Das, while tabling his third budget for Jharkhand on Monday, said that the state government has sought the centre’s nod in setting up a central tribal university in Jharkhand.
According to the 2011 census, tribals form 26.2% of the state’s 3.29 crore population. The move is significant for the BJP-ruled state as the opposition had recently succeeded in polarising the state’s tribal populace after the government brought a bill to amend the century old land ceiling acts—Chottanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act– that allows government to acquire agricultural tribal land for carrying out development work like building roads, bridges and schools. Tribals considered the two acts custodians of their rights and opposed any changes.
“We have sought the centre’s permission in setting up a dedicated central tribal university in Jharkhand which will help tribal students pursue their dreams and prosper,” Das said during the 2017-2018 budget in Ranchi.
The university will primarily focus on development and growth of tribal students but will be open for all, sources from the government said.
