Backward Classes Welfare & Tribal Development

Tanmay Mondal
IIM graduate, Batch of 2014


The Backward Classes Welfare Department is entrusted with various welfare activities for the people of SC, ST and OBC communities. The main focus of this department is on the educational upliftment of the people belonging to Backward Classes living in this state.


Department of Tribal Development

The present government has created the Department of Tribal Development to uplift the overall standard of living of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The first meeting of the newly constituted Tribes Advisory Council, formed by representatives of various tribes, has already taken place.


Tribal Development in the Terai region

Hindi as a language will be included in the graduate and post-graduate curriculum of North Bengal University. keeping the demands of tribal students in mind. Banarhat College (Hindi medium) will start functioning from August 2014. Hindi medium schools will start in Banarhat, Matiali and Kalchini. The government is supplying rice to the workers of closed tea gardens at Rs 2 per kg.


Special reservation

A historic decision towards 17% reservation for OBC students in government-aided higher education centres has been made during the tenure of the present government. It will be introduced in the academic year 2014-15. The step has been taken without reducing the number of seats earmarked for general students.

The government of India has recently enlisted 37 new groups as Bengal, as a result of relentless endeavour and a long-standing demand of the government of West Bengal. Of these, 35 are from minority communities. As a consequence, scopes for the education and the employment of backward classes will be widened.


Tribal Development in the Hills

The State Government has taken positive steps for the development of various ethnic people on the hills. The Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board was formed in 2012 for the socio-economic and cultural development of the Lepcha community, besides the implementation of the GTA Agreement. The Lepcha Development Board was registered as a separate society on August 5, 2013.

Rs 1 crore has already been sanctioned to the Board for the growth of education and culture under the plan-head. One thousand women have been identified as beneficiaries of houses to be built under the Rangee scheme. Rs 50 crore has been granted for this project, out of which Rs 20 crore has already been sanctioned to the Development Board under the plan-head.


Formation of Tamang Development Board

The state government has recently constituted the Tamang Development Board for the overall growth of Tamang and other communities and to preserve Tamang culture and traditions. This Board will also look into matters related to the development of other communities.


Inclusion of 11 groups in the list of scheduled tribes

The union government has been requested by the state to induct 11 groups, including the 10 ethnic groups of Darjeeling - Bhujel, Gurung, Mangar, Newar, Yogi, Khas, Rai, Sunuar, Thammi and Iksa (Dewan) - and Dhimal, in the list of scheduled tribes.


Other welfare projects

• Giving bicycles to girl students reading in classes IX to XII in order to encourage them to continue with their studies

• Scope for applying online for caste certificates and different scholarships for students

• Scope for construction of houses under the Geetanjali project

• Arrangements for the availability of individual/collective land deeds under the Forest Rights Act

• Loans and grants according to the terms and conditions of the concerned financial enterprise (Aranya Shakti Prokalpa)

• Many people pluck kendu leaves from jungles and sell them. Keeping this in consideration, the price of kendu leaves has been enhanced from Rs 48 per chatta to Rs 75 per chatta.

• Special training in subjects, including spoken English, computer education, etc. under the monitoring of internationally famous institutions for employment in private sectors.

• Education loans under easy terms and conditions for professional and technical higher education.

Tourism: Unleashing the potential

Samprati Motghare
IIM graduate, Batch of 2014


West Bengal has all the diversities of nature. The snow capped peaks of the Himalayas, Darjeeling, referred by many as the Queen of Hill Stations, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway declared as a World Heritage Site, the vast tea estates of the Dooars, the famed Royal Bengal Tiger of Sunderbans, the innumerable historical landmarks of India’s and Bengal’s glorious history, and long unending beaches with gentle rolling sea lined with Casuarina forests, are all wonders for the prospective tourists. Given the variance of the tourism sites in the State, West Bengal has something to offer throughout the year.


Performance of the sector

West Bengal has managed to attract 3-3.7% of domestic tourists, as a percentage of total domestic tourists of India. It performs much better in terms of foreign tourists by attracting close 8% of all foreign tourists coming to India. It is worth noting that this share of foreign tourists was close to 10.5% in year 2003 and it decreased gradually to 8.33% by 2010. Though the number of tourists has been increasing every year but as a share of total tourists of the country, state has not performed that well. This is the reason why there is increased focus to promote the tourism of the state by the new government.


Development of Tourism through Public Private Partnership Model: The state government has adopted the Public Private Partnership Model, followed worldwide. It includes Tourism Parks, Lodge (both economic and luxurious), Amusement Parks, Adventure sports, Helicopter and Sea- Transport services and numerous revenue earning projects.


Cultural Tourism: Cultural Tourism is, nowadays, considered to be an integral part of general tourism and the department of Tourism is trying to uphold enriched cultural pluralism of this state. Besides, Bauls, Chhou performers, flouteplayers etc., the Pata artists, creators of handicraft designs, experts in Kantha stiching, the Dokra fine-artists have been included in all the street exhibitions at home and abroad as part of this cultural tourism. The presence of these artists in the large-scale tourism-centric programme in London and Berlin has made the pavillion of West Bengal an important centre of attraction. In order to make available for the tourists, these kinds of cultural assets through lodging, centres of skill development, exhibitions and sales counters, the Department of Tourism at the same time, is upholding rural tourism.


Home Tourism: The Department of Tourism has laid special emphasis on Home Tourism in various tourist centres specially in Derjeeling and Dooars.


Heritage Tourism: Keeping in view enormous cultural and historical heritage, the state government has taken up a plan for the development of heritage sites of Malda and Murshidabad and the temples of Bishnupur from the viewpoint of tourism development. A project on tourism has been taken on Motijheel in Murshidabad involving Rs. 14 crore.


Beautification of Cities: A lot of projects have been undertaken for beautification of Kolkata, a city of heritage. One of these projects is the beautification of the river Ganga involving Rs 20 crore.

Besides, a project is being implemented by the Department of Tourism in view of maintenance, renovation and cultural artefacts of colonial heritage on the both sides of the river Hooghly with the assistance of the concerned embassies.


Taking tourism to remote destinations: Special emphasis has been laid on spread of tourism in places which has not yet captured the imagination of the tourists. It includes construction of tourist lodge at Gangarampur in the district of Dakshin Dinajpur, and construction of guest houses at Ramganga and Patharpratima in the district of South 24 Parganas. This apart, a district-wise narrative list of tourism destinations has been prepared.


Publicity: Keeping in view the marketing of the 'RUPASI BANGLA' (Beautiful Bengal), the Department of Tourism has been participating relentlessly in the Travel & Tourism Fairs organised at home and abroad. Few of these are International Trade Fair, IITM, IATO Annual Convention, WTM London, ITB Berlin etc.


Parting Thought

West Bengal has seen increased participation in, both domestic and international, travel and tourism fairs with more efforts towards renovation of tourist lodges and construction of new tourist lodges, and enabling connection to even the remote tourist locations, the future of tourism in West Bengal is looking bright.