Dehradun, Sept. 7 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said that his government was committed towards the welfare and upliftment of the tribals in the state, saying multiple historic steps were being taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen basic facilities for tribal communities. The CM distributed appointment letters to 15 assistant teachers selected in the government ashram system schools run under the tribal welfare department at an event held at his official residence in Dehradun. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various construction schemes of the tribal welfare department worth over Rs.15 crore. Dhami said that the projects will go a long way in not only strengthening infrastructure for the tribal community but also in ensuring better facilities for citizens at large. Congratulating the newly selected teachers, he said the young educators will play a vital role in shaping the new generation. On the measures taken by the Centre for the tribals, Dhami said, "The most important decision has been to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda as Tribal Pride Day. Earlier governments only paid lip service to the idea of tribal development, but under PM Modi, concrete initiatives are being executed on the ground." He added that the Union government has tripled the budget allocation for tribal development and is implementing schemes such as the Eklavya Model School, Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan, Van Dhan Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Janjati Vikas Mission. The CM said that 128 tribal villages of Uttarakhand have been identified under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan. "Currently, four Eklavya Adarsh Residential Schools are operating in Kalsi, Mehravana, Bajpur and Khatima, providing free education and hostel facilities to tribal students. A proposal has also been sent to the Centre for establishing Eklavya Schools for Bhotiya and Raji tribes in the border district of Pithoragarh," he said. Dhami further said the state government has been implementing several measures for the welfare of the tribal communities. He said while scholarships are being given from primary to postgraduate levels, 16 government ashram system schools and three ITI institutes are being run in the state to impart technical education to unemployed tribal youth. "In addition, free coaching for competitive exams is also being extended along with scholarships," he said. Dhami added that the state government was committed to protecting the cultural identity and demography of Uttarakhand."We have enforced a strict anti-conversion law, freed over 9,000 acres of encroached government land and implemented the Uniform Civil Code for the first time in the country, while exempting all Scheduled Tribes to safeguard their traditions and customs," the CM said. Dhami also announced the beautification of the Tribal Research Institute, construction of a high-tech girls' toilet block, and a dining hall at the Adi Lakshya Institute. Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, MLAs Khajan Das, Umesh Sharma Kau, Savita Kapoor, Dalip Singh Rawat, and Pramod Nainwal, chairperson of the Tribal Commission Lilavati Rana, secretary social welfare Sridhar Babu Addanki, director tribal welfare Sanjay Tolia were also present at the event....