Nilambur to get special development package for tribal communities, says Kerala Minister

Nilambur will receive a special development package for the welfare of its tribal communities, Kerala Minister for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Backward Classes Welfare K.A. Thulasi announced on Sunday (August 2, 2026). The announcement came during the inauguration of a tribal documentation adalat held under the Vikas Vision 2040 initiative led by Aryadan Shoukath, MLA.

The adalat was organised to help tribal families lacking basic identity documents gain access to government welfare schemes. Officials issued 11 essential documents to tribal residents from 168 settlements, including birth certificates, Aadhaar, PAN, ration and voter ID cards, caste and income certificates, employment registration, health insurance cards, labour cards and bank accounts.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Thulasi said the development package would be finalised after consultations with the MLA, MP and district administration. A scheme providing land and houses to landless tribal families will be launched this year, while a separate rehabilitation project will be prepared for tribal families who lost their homes in the 2019 floods. Financial assistance for constructing houses in forest areas will also be revised.

The Minister also announced plans to establish a post-matric hostel at Nilambur for tribal students, introduce updated courses in department-run educational institutions, launch the Unnathi Scholarship for SC/ST students pursuing higher education abroad, and provide government-funded coaching for civil services aspirants. Livelihood programmes for tribal communities will also be implemented, along with guidelines for timely execution of tribal development projects by local bodies and an online portal offering key SC/ST welfare services.

Emphasising that Nilambur would no longer be left out of government development initiatives, the Minister inaugurated a ₹20 lakh building constructed for the potter community at Aruvakode. A medical camp and free medicine distribution were also held during the adalat.

The camp covered tribal residents from Nilambur municipality and the panchayats of Vazhikkadavu, Pothukal, Edakkara, Chungathara, Moothedam, Karulai and Amarambalam. Around 7,000 tribal residents were surveyed to identify those without essential documents, and about 400 volunteers assisted the programme.

Among those present were P.V. Abdul Wahab, MP; Backward Classes Development department director D. Ranjith; District Collector Vinay Goyal; Perinthalmanna Sub-Collector Sakshi Mohan; Nilambur block panchayat president Bobby C. Mampra; Kalikavu block panchayat president V.P. Jaseera; Nilambur municipal chairperson Padmini Gopinath; District Panchayat members N.A. Kareem and Raihanath Kurumadan; and panchayat presidents C.K. Suresh (Chungathara), V.P. Afeefa (Amarambalam), T.K. Hafsath (Moothedam), M.A. Jose (Pothukal), Ramlath Neythakkodan (Vazhikkadavu), Sheeja Kandangappuram (Karulai) and Deepa Haridas (Edakkara).