Kerala Government to Provide Free Civil Service Training for 20 Students From Tribal Communities

In an effort to increase the participation of members of the scheduled tribes (ST) community in civil service examinations, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has launched a free training program. A batch of 40 students has been shortlisted for a residential preliminary training program, from which 20 will be selected to undergo training at any academy of their choice for free.

The government has sanctioned Rs 70 lakhs for the program in the first phase. The project, a first of its kind in the country, is envisaged by the LDF government to encourage people from the marginalised community to aspire to crack civil service examinations. The program was launched on June 30.

The LDF government has continuously focussed on the improvement of the tribal community, constituting around 1.43% of the state population. Special focus is also given to the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG), who constitute around 6.17% of the tribal population.

The government has launched multiple programs to improve the literacy rate and employability of the tribal community, which lacks exposure due to multiple reasons, including accessibility constraints.

FREE TRAINING FOR 20 STUDENTS

The ST welfare department has selected 40 students from 10 districts under the age of 30 years to undergo the one-month residential program in the civil service academy in the state capital. After one month, 20 students would be shortlisted for free training anywhere in India.

“Kerala is the first state to train 20 ST aspirants for civil service examination from any premier institutes anywhere in India through this program. 40 students are selected from 10 different districts and belong to various tribal communities,” K Radhakrishnan, minister for ST, SC and BC welfare, said.

The government has allocated Rs 10 lakh for the one-month residential training and another Rs 60 lakhs for training 20 students. Each selected student will be provided aid of Rs 3 lakh by the LDF government.

“The government continues to keep its promise of being with the people all the time,” the minister said.

The government has also planned to fix the annual income slab as Rs 2.5 lakh for the applicants to ensure the scheme benefits the economically backward students within the tribal communities.

The tribal population in Kerala is 4,84,839 as per the 2011 census, with women (2,46,636) outnumbering men (2,38,203). The literacy rate among the tribals is 74.44%, much lower than the state average of 93.91%. The literacy among women stands at 70.15%, which again is low in PVTGs, as per the ST Socio-Economic Status report.

EMPOWERING THROUGH EDUCATION

The tribal community, though small in number, has long been denied rights and facilities. The LDF government has been paying special attention to the needs of the tribal community and has charted out special programs on education, land, housing and other developments.

“The students from tribal communities can try for civil service that turns the wheels of governance. The government is committed to uplift the community which was denied education for long,” the minister said.

The LDF government, in the 2021-22 budget, allocated Rs 735.86 crores for different development projects. The special initiatives by the department also include model residential schools (MRS), which educate around 5,500 students.

In the recently published higher secondary exam results, 809 out of the 962 who appeared from the MRS have cleared the exams. In the SSLC examinations, 16 out of the 17 schools under the ST department have recorded a 100% pass percentage, while seven out of the nine schools under the SC department have secured centum results.

The government has announced various scholarship programs for tribal students to pursue higher education. The government had committed to providing various coaching facilities for the socially backward communities, leading to the launch of the civil service training program.

“The development of the tribal community can be achieved only through providing quality education. The LDF government will ensure the necessary facilities and infrastructure,” the minister said.