Weaning away tribal youths from maoists

BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of an increasing number of youths in the extremist-hit areas of the State being drawn into the Maoist fold, a five-day training programme on the theme of ‘Tribal Youths as Social Animators’ was inaugurated here on Tuesday. The programme is being jointly organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), an autonomous body, and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) both under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. As many as 40 tribal youths from the Maoist-infested areas like Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Nayagarh, Keonjhar, Sonepur, Bargarh and Jajpur are participating in the training camp.The programme aims at creating awareness among the tribal youths about RTI mechanism, the various Central and State Government schemes that have been implemented for uplift of tribals in these areas. “The problem area in these Maoist-hit places is that youths are unaware of the government measures taken for their development and hence, they do not reap any benefits. Taking advantage of the situation, the Maoists try to woo them,” said programme coordinator Ashok Behera. NYVS Zonal Director S P Pattnaik said along with the training programme research will be conducted to identify the issues related to the tribal youths and accordingly, youth clubs and pressure groups will be formed to tackle them. “Resource persons from across the country have been roped in to provide special training to make these youths realise their capacity and empower them,” he added. Besides, the participants will be trained in various personality development courses like trust building, leadership, communication and skill upgradation in a bid to enhance their chances of securing employment.  The event was inaugurated by MP Baishnab Parida.