TOI : Tribal students part of sunshine sectors : Oct 22,2007
Tribal students part of sunshine sectors
Nitin Yeshwantrao I TNN
Mumbai: Tribal students dreams to soar have got the much-needed push from the Centre which is wholly financing the training of 95 girls and five boys from the adivasi community in Maharashtra in the fields of aviation hospitality.
Girls from the backward pockets of Nandurbar, Thane and Nagpur are already undergoing the training programme at the privately-run Air Hostess Academy in Pune. The Centre is bearing over Rs 1 crore for the programme.
The Centres welfare initiative has also helped three other adivasi boys from Nagpur who completed training as commercial pilots at a Hyderabad-based institute with their stay and study expenses entirely taken care of by the Central government.
Under the Centres welfare scheme for education of tribals, we (the state tribal development department) proposed that our boys and girls be trained in the sunshine sectors. Our proposal for air hostess and pilot training were readily sanctioned by them, Dr Vijay Gavit, state tribal development minister told TOI.
Of the three tribal students trained as commercial pilots, two have already been absorbed by Air India, Gavit said adding that the Centre bore Rs 13 lakh each as stay and study costs of the three students.
The minister said it was essential to keep up with the changing times so as to bring the socially and economically backward tribal community with the mainstream. Instead of making the tribal students go through some course which have lost all relevance in present times, we decided that they be trained to meet challenges in the modern era.
These 95 girls have already completed four months training and would be absorbed by airlines shortly. It will give them a new confidence and the training will help them think of new careers which otherwise were outside their realm because of the financial costs involved, Gavit said.
Presently the Centre pays Rs 1 lakh towards the one year air hostess course which includes tuition fees, hostel and uniform costs.
With the schemes success guaranteed, the Democratic Front (DF) coalition too has decided to join the bandwagon and a proposal is under consideration of the state cabinet to set aside Rs 2 crore annually for such professional courses for the tribals.
The state finance ministry too is understood to have given consent to the tribal departments proposal but has said that the selection of the training academy should be done after a proper scrutiny. The proposal is likely to be discussed in the meeting of the state cabinet scheduled in Aurangabad on October 24-25.
Officials said the tribal population in Maharashtra stands close to 80 lakh with 47 scheduled tribes including Warli, Mahadeo Koli, Halba and Korku among others.