Nadia district administration has launched an outreach under the state-run Duare Sarkar programme to enrol people of tribal communities through a doorstep drive since many of them are unaware of the government's social welfare schemes despite intensive campaigns throughout the year.

The district administration started the initiative on Monday at Ranaghat subdivision with officials visiting every tribal household in the block to zero in on those eligible but yet to avail of government benefits.

Officials focused on old-age pension, Lakshmir Bhandar, issuance of tribe and caste certificates and Swasthya Sathi cards, and collection of migrant labour data. Many beneficiaries either did not know about them or did not receive their due benefits, officials found out.

So far, officials visited several tribal households at Santipur, Ranaghat and Hanshkhali blocks in Nadia district to identify eligible beneficiaries outside the welfare loop.

Ranaghat SDO Raunak Agarwal, who personally visited several tribal households in Aarpara village of Santipur and Santipur to note down names of residents missing government benefits, said that several Duare Sarkar camps had already been organised at subdivisions and mobile camps and other awareness initiatives held.

"Still, a large number of tribal people could not so far be included under all beneficial schemes for which they are eligible. In fact, despite our best efforts we could not make people aware of what the Duare Sarkar offers or the state of the government offers," he admitted.

"We conducted some random surveys in some belts and found that many people are not enrolled under various welfare schemes simply because of their ignorance," the SDO added.

"So, as an independent programme under Duare Sarkar we have conceived an outreach to visit every household in remote tribal belts in a bid to include every eligible person," the SDO added.

He said a set of questions had been prepared to identify the drawbacks of the system that kept several tribal persons outside the ambit of the welfare schemes.

On the first day of the drive, officials of Ranaghat subdivision reached around 120 such houses. The process has been continuing since then. As far as possible, the beneficiaries were provided instant solutions.

Officials said that in many cases it was found that without the Scheduled Tribe certificate, tribal women were getting Rs 500 under Lakshmir Bhandar instead of Rs 1,000. Both Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste women are entitled to get Rs 1,000 per month under the scheme.

"We rectified this so that the tribal women can get Rs 1,000 per month," the official said.

Some tribal women like Sundari Munda and Gita Munda came to know about Lakshmir Bhandar on Monday. Gita also came to know about old-age pension. The officials instantly took their enrollment applications.

Sources in Nabanna said that the comparatively poor inclusion of tribal people in welfare schemes has been a concern for the state government.

"There is no specific data so far on people left out of welfare schemes. But primary reports are not good enough," the source said.

Chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi during a Duare Sarkar meeting last year asked districts to mobilise efforts in backward tribal areas so that all 24 government schemes are available to eligible beneficiaries. He asked officials to take up special awareness drives in tribal belts.