‘Renaming alone not enough’: Minister Thulasi on demand to restore traditional ‘ooru’ name

Thrissur: Minister K.A. Thulasi has raised concerns over the renaming of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe settlements, stating that name changes alone will not bring meaningful improvement.

The minister said that objections to the renaming process have been received from within the communities themselves. She also noted that some tribal groups have demanded the restoration of the traditional term ‘ooru’ instead of ‘unnathi’ for tribal settlements.

Minister Thulasi added that the government will not rush the renaming process and will proceed cautiously. She was speaking to the media in Thrissur.

The Minister pointed out that there was a serious lapse by an SC promoter in Kollam’s Achankovil, where an Adivasi couple with underweight twin babies reportedly did not receive adequate nutritional or official support. According to her, the field-level promoter, who was supposed to visit households frequently, had not visited the family even once.

She added that action will be taken after speaking with the couple. Further inspections will be conducted to identify lapses within the department and initiate follow-up measures.

Financial assistance scheme in the name of Dakshayani Velayudhan

The government has announced a new financial assistance scheme for Scheduled Caste women entrepreneurs, Minister K.A. Thulasi said.

The scheme has been named after social reformer Dakshayani Velayudhan. Under this initiative, self-help groups from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be eligible for financial assistance of up to ₹10 lakh.

The programme will be implemented in the first phase in Palakkad district and later extended to other districts, the minister added.