Jual Oram

Want to take break from contesting elections says Union minister Jual Oram

Odisha's veteran tribal leader and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Saturday said that he wants to take a break from contesting elections to pave the way for the young generation. Oram, who is a member of the Narendra Modi council of ministers, made this announcement while attending a 'Nijukti Mela' (job fair) function at Sambalpur. The minister said that he would not run for either MP or MLA positions in the future. "I had already made it clear during the last elections that I would not contest for Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha seats again. The time has come to vacate the berth for the younger generation. I have already contested for direct elections 10 times," Oram told reporters after the meeting. A six-time MP and two-time MLA, Oram, however, said that he would serve the party and may not hesitate to become a Rajya Sabha MP or the governor of any state, but is not interested in direct elections. "I will do BJP work and will carry out whatever responsibility the party ass

Centre allocates ₹79,000 cr for tribal housing, infra, health: Jual Oram

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said on Thursday that the Centre has set aside Rs 79,000 crore to provide houses, roads, health facilities and water to tribal areas across the country. Participating in an awareness programme under the Dharti Aaba Janabhagidari Abhiyan at Sanguem in South Goa, he said that the earlier Congress government never recognised that the problems faced by the tribal communities could be different from the other sections of society. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and State Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Desai also attended the event. It was only after the BJP came to power (in 2014) that a separate ministry was created for tribal welfare with a sizable budget, said the 64-year-old tribal leader from Odisha. He said that the initial budget for the ministry was Rs 8,000 crore. Sometimes, I have sleepless nights. We have a huge budget of Rs 79,000 crore. This budget has to be utilised by the state governmen

Great Nicobar project: Ministry reviewing tribal concerns, says Jual Oram

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Monday said his ministry is examining objections raised by tribal communities regarding a mega infrastructure project proposed on Great Nicobar Island. The project, titled 'Holistic Development of Great Nicobar', involves building a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq km of land. This includes about 130 sq km of pristine forest, home to the indigenous Nicobarese and Shompen communities, classified as 'Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups' (PVTGs). When asked if the ministry was investigating complaints from tribal communities regarding the project, the minister told reporters, "Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question (in this regard) in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action." On further questioning about what the ministry seeks to ascertain, Oram said, "First, we need to ...

Govt reconstitutes NITI Aayog; new ministers join as members, spl invitees

The vice chairman and full-time members of the apex public policy think tank remain unchanged

Modi 3.0: Jual Oram takes charge as Tribal Affairs minister in new govt

Veteran BJP leader Jual Oram, who holds the distinction of being the country's first Tribal Affairs minister, assumed the responsibility again on Friday and said tribal education and health will be the top priorities of the Modi government. The 63-year-old leader made his way to the Lok Sabha for the fifth time after defeating BJD candidate and former Indian Hockey captain Dilip Tirkey by 1,38,808 votes on his home turf Sundargarh in Odisha. "This is the third time I am taking charge of the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. I pray to Lord Jagannath, and I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this responsibility," Oram told reporters after taking charge. He said tribal education and health will be the Modi government's top priorities. "The biggest issue in the tribal areas of the country is education. I thank PM Modi for working on the issue. I told PM Modi this when I met him in the first Modi government. He asked what one thing is the most important for tribals. I said education.

Another slap

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram slapped his aide during BJP's Odisha meet