GUWAHATI, Dec 27 - Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal has urged the Assam Government to provide the required land for setting up Special Navodaya Vidyalayas in tea tribe community-dominated areas of the State.
Sonowal�s appeal to the State Government comes after the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development had given the green signal to Sonowal�s proposal for setting up special schools for tea tribe communities in view of their abysmal school educational indices.
Sonowal added that it was now for the State Government to exhibit the required goodwill for the purpose by allotting the land on which the schools could come up.
State BJP sources said that the Centre�s nod for establishment of special schools in tea tribe community-dominated areas would have long-term and lasting impact on the communities� socio-economic status.
In spite of their committed engagement in the thriving tea industry of Assam, the tea tribe community continues to lag behind in terms of educational and health indicators even after 68 years of the country�s independence.
�As many as 90 per cent of the State�s tea gardens lack middle schools, let alone institutions of higher education. Fifty per cent tea gardens even lack primary schools. The Congress is squarely responsible for this sorry state of affairs, as the party had nothing to expedite the development process for this backward community all these decades,� BJP sources said.
BJP sources added that the Centre�s green signal was great news for Assam but the ball was in the State Government�s court and it needed to reciprocate the Centre�s gesture.
