Mumbai, July 2 (IANS) In a major push towards tech-driven and transparent governance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed officials to make the Scheduled Tribe (ST) caste verification process more transparent, accessible, reliable, and citizen-centric using cutting-edge technology.

He issued directives to leverage Blockchain technology to convert all caste validity certificates into a highly secure, digital verification system.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the 52nd meeting of the Maharashtra State Tribal Advisory Council.

Fadnavis emphasised that the entire caste verification workflow must be moved online. He outlined a distinct strategic roadmap for deploying emerging technologies to reform the administration and develop an unalterable and secure digital ecosystem for verifying validity certificates, preventing duplication and forgery.

He said AI-driven systems would be implemented to effectively detect duplicate applications, conduct preliminary document screening, and optimise the overall verification process.

The Tribal, Forest, and Revenue departments have been instructed to jointly organise special camps to distribute necessary certificates and essential documentation to the Pardhi community.

Directions were given to coordinate with the Finance Department to ensure the allocation of funds for the Tribal Component Programme remains strictly proportional to the Scheduled Tribe population, informed the Chief Minister.

Focusing on the socioeconomic welfare of tribal students, CM Fadnavis instructed the administration to review the income criteria for various educational and welfare schemes run by the Tribal Development Department.

He directed that the income ceiling be raised to a minimum of Rs 4 lakh annually to ensure a maximum number of tribal students can benefit from these initiatives.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister called for expediting the amendment process of the Scheduled Tribes Certificate (Scrutiny and Verification) Act.

He urged relevant departments to work in close coordination to fill vacant positions of Project Officers, appoint special legal experts for pending court cases, and significantly elevate overall administrative efficiency.

To guarantee effective utilisation of resources, he recommended strengthening state and district-level monitoring mechanisms to track funds distributed by the Tribal Development Department to other sectors.

With the government’s focus on Forest Rights and Local Economic Growth, reviewing the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), the Chief Minister stressed the need for mission-based initiatives aimed at forest conservation and the economic empowerment of tribal communities.

He noted that existing policies must be strictly enforced to ensure local tribal populations get overriding priority in fisheries within dam reservoirs and other new local economic projects.

Additionally, he asked the Rural Development and Tribal Development departments to review current policies regarding the rights of Gram Sabhas over Minor Forest Produce (MFP) such as bamboo, tendu leaves, and apta leaves, and take the necessary administrative steps.

Fadnavis reiterated that the General Administration Department (GAD) and the Tribal Development Department must work in tandem to establish a technology-driven, transparent, and high-impact administration.

He issued strict orders to all related departments to execute time-bound actions on all pending matters, ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach tribal citizens in a seamless, hassle-free manner.

–IANS

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