Lok Sabha Question No. 5575 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-02
Subject: Policies and Development Schemes for STs
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: R. PARTHIPAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5575

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.04.2018

## POLICIES AND DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES FOR STs

## 5575: SHRI R. PARTHIPAN:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has noted that tribal population is unaware of the programmes, policies and development schemes that are conducted for their upliftment;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the tribal people are unable to participate in any of these programmes;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has established any mechanism to combat this difficulty; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS ( SHRI JASWANTSINH BHABHOR )

(a) to (f): Tribal population has  their own  traditional life styles, remoteness of habitations, dispersed population and displacement. Ministry of Tribal Affairs is seized of the matter that tribal  population  are  inhabiting  in  far  flung  remote  areas  and  may  not  be  fully  aware  of  the programmes, policies and development schemes but it has taken  several steps to disseminate awareness of the programmes / schemes implemented by the Ministry as mentioned below:

- (i) Guidelines of the Schemes / programmes implemented by the Ministry as well as Annual Reports have been uploaded on the Ministry's Website.
- (ii) Sanction Orders mentioning therein the name of the project to be implemented in the States under a particular Scheme are uploaded on the Ministry's website.
- (iii)  Scholarships are provided directly in the accounts of the students.
- (iv)  With  regard  to  implementation  of  Forest  Rights  Act,  2006,  training  and  awareness programmes are organized at Gram Panchayat level by the States.
- (v) While issuing sanction orders under the Scheme Special Central Assistance to Tribal SubScheme (SCA to TSS), State Governments are advised to ensure that concerned Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) should be duly informed about the projects / programmes relating to Tribal Development to be implemented in the area of jurisdiction. It is also advised to ensure that meetings of Gram Sabha are conducted on regular intervals as per norms in such areas.
- (vi)  MoTA  also  provides  focused  advertisement  in  the  newspapers  /  dailies  besides  press releases  from  time  to  time  in  order  to  generate  awareness  among  the  targeted  ST beneficiaries so that they can approach the system for the services due to them.
- (vii) Further MoTA provides supports to local NGOs for conducting awareness programmes, training  of  local  level  functionaries,  Forest  Rights  Committees  and  training  of  master trainers, capacity building of functionaries and tribal representatives on socio-economic programs and capacity building of artisans trough Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs).
- (viii) As per the Guidelines for Tribal Sub-Plan issued by erstwhile Planning Commission, the States/UTs shall set up its own Social Audit Programme with the involvement of elected

representatives, beneficiaries and reputed voluntary organizations / NGOs / CSOs. As tribal habitations  are  scattered  at  large  distances,  States/UTs  has  to  design  social  audit programmes such that these are undertaken at the level of the ST cluster or habitation. States/UTs shall undertake to develop adequate capacities amongst the inhabitants of the cluster/habitations.

- (ix)  In  order  to  consistently  improve  public  service  delivery,  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs continuously reviews various schematic initiatives; the recent ones being rationalization of scholarship schemes, onboarding of scheme on DBT, online portal for NGO Grants etc.
- (x)   The  Ministry  has  been  consistently  spending  funds  for  programmes  /  schemes  for educational, and socio-economic development of tribals and monitoring the spend through various mechanisms like Project Appraisal Committee, Utilisation Certificates, Physical Progress Reports, field visits etc.,  Ministry of Tribal Affairs has developed and an online monitoring system http://stcmis.gov.in wherein funds provided by various Central Sector Ministries / Departments under the schemes meant for the development of tribals and tribal dominated areas with respect to roads, buildings, hygiene, education, scholarship etc. are invariably reflected and updated on daily basis.

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