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Uttar Pradesh CM to celebrate Diwali with Musahars, Vantangiyas
Like previous years, chief minister Yogi Adityanath will once again share the gaiety of the festival with the forest dwellers in Tinkonia village in Gorakhpur but this time Musahar families in the village too have been invited to join the celebrations
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will celebrate Diwali on Monday with members of Musahar and Vantangiya communities, said a government spokesperson on Sunday.
It has become a ritual for CM Yogi to celebrate Diwali with Vantangiya people—a forest-dwelling community—that was brought into the mainstream of the society through his efforts.
Like previous years, chief minister Yogi Adityanath will once again share the gaiety of the festival with the forest dwellers in Tinkonia village in Gorakhpur but this time Musahar families in the village too have been invited to join the celebrations. On the occasion, the CM will also launch development works worth about ₹80 crore. Gifts will also be distributed among Vantangiya families on behalf of the CM, said the spokesperson.
Musahar community, which had been neglected for decades, was brought into the mainstream of the society through the Yogi government’s efforts in the last five-and-a-half years, said the spokesperson.
The Yogi government has been working dedicatedly for the upliftment and welfare of the underprivileged and the deprived in the state. Resultantly, the Musahar community which faced hunger, malnutrition, poverty and neglect for years, is now able to celebrate the festivals with fervour and gaiety.
“Owing to the sustained efforts by CM Yogi Adityanath, children of the Musahar community, mainly daughters, are receiving education and are moving towards achieving self-reliance. Two such daughters of the Musahar community, after completing training from the Rashtriya Raksha University, have become the ‘Lakshmi’ of their homes by performing duty as security guards in Telangana,” said the spokesperson.
“There are about 10,414 Musahar families living in Kushinagar district’s 138 gram sabhas. The previous governments before 2017 continued to neglect the Musahar families, causing the community to suffer hunger, malnutrition and various illnesses. Ever since CM Yogi Adityanath took over the reins of the state, it was ensured that all the deprived families get benefited from the schemes that were implemented for them. The community ever since has been receiving the benefits of several schemes and getting rice, wheat and gram through the public distribution system,” the spokesperson added.
About 8,000 houses have been built under PM Awas Yojana (rural) in 10 Musahar-dominated development blocks in the district. Also, additional houses have been built as part of the Chief Minister Awas Yojana. About 10,159 families were provided toilets. Job cards of almost all eligible Musahars have been made under MGNREGA in Kushinagar district to ensure that there is no hindrance to the livelihood of Musahars.
Meanwhile, Gorakhpur district authorities have started the exercise to bring Musahar community members from various districts, particularly from Kushinagar district of the division where they are in sizeable numbers in around 10 blocks.
Facing extreme poverty and social discrimination, they were once compelled to eat rat to survive. After becoming the CM, Yogi Adityanath focused on the upliftment of the community. Later, a Musahar welfare committee was constituted headed by the district magistrate of Kushinagar.
