VTDA's to be strenthened to empower tribals in Adilabad

Project officer R.V Karnan interacting with Adivasis at Gundala in Tiryani

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor is making efforts to empower the tribals by strengthening Village Tribal Development Agencies (VTDAs). 

The VTDAs will give democratic space for the local tribals to take up development works needed for them instead of accepting what is imposed by the government officials.

The ITDA authorities are of the opinion that the involvement of the local tribals especially Adivasis in development works and schemes will help the effective implementation of government schemes and speed up the works take up in their respective villages.Misappropriation funds meant for the development works in interior tribal areas is on the higher side.

The village tribal development agencies will take up development works like roads, construction of a school and other buildings, minor drinking water schemes and supplying food and other items to the Tribal Ashram schools instead of private contractors.

The ITDA, Utnoor project officer R.V Karnan said they will conduct elections to the VTDAs through gram sabhas and leaders and villagers will elect the president and members to 530 Village Tribal Development Committees (VTDA’s).

He said various programs will be organized and schemes will be implemented through VTDAs under ITDA.  

Earlier, the VTDAs were active and but the majority of them become inactive and some of them inactive as political leaders and private contractors and some government officials diluted them over a period of time as they were affecting their interests.

Leaders of some of the VTDA’s misused the powers and gave works to the private contractors taking the goodwill from them instead doing works on their own or else not supplying material in time or not completing the works in time as per agreement.

It was found that there is no proper monitoring of the development work taken up by the private contractors and various departments in the tribal villages. 

The same work being taken up many times to get the profits though there was no use of such sub-standard works to the local tribals. This came up for the discussion many times in the meeting of governing body of the ITDA.