New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that his government is drafting a new excise policy that will allow the tribal community to make traditional liquor from the mahua plant, which will be sold as “heritage liquor”, reported PTI. The right to sell the liquor will also be reserved with the tribals.
Chouhan was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the week-long ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ which started on November 15. He added that the tribal community will be able to manage the tribal community forest. It will also allow their right on the forest produce.
He added that the ‘Rashan Aapke gaon’ scheme will also be started in the state to provide doorstep delivery of grains to their houses.
Chouhan emphasised the importance of the tribal community in the freedom struggle. “The tribes in the country and MP have a glorious past, and tribal heroes played a very important role in the freedom struggle. The British made all efforts to end the pride of our tribes. We are going to restore it," he said.
He also laid the foundation stone of the statue of Gond tribal king Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah, who were killed by the British in 1857.
Chouhan also assured that the petty and false cases against the tribal people will be withdrawn and a medical college will be inaugurated in the name of King Hirde Shah, a freedom fighter.
On November 15, the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi who was speaking on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the freedom fighter.