Lok Sabha Question No. 1372 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-24
Subject: Review of Benefits to Forest People
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: LAXMAN GILUWA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1372

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2017

## REVIEW OF BENEFITS TO FOREST PEOPLE

## †1372. SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA:

## Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has not conducted any review to find out that several backward castes living in the forest are not getting the benefits from the tribal development schemes of the Union Government and reservation moto in the Government jobs;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reaction of the Government thereto; and

(c) the remedial steps taken by the Government in this regard till date and the outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (b):      The  status  of  all  population,  including  Scheduled  Tribes  (STs),  is  reviewed regardingsocio-economic  conditions,  assets    and  amenities,  education,  health,  poverty, employment,etc., across the countrythrough decennial Census conducted by the Office of  the Registrar General, India; large scale sample surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO),  Ministry of Statistics &Programme  Implementation;  various surveys conducted  by Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare,  Ministry  of  Human  Resource Development,  Ministry  of  Labour&Employment,  etc.  In  addition  to  above,  officials  of Ministry of Tribal Affairs often visit States / different locations and review progress of tribal development schemes.

(c): Government  has  adopted  a  multi-pronged  strategy  for  overall  development  of  STs across  the  country,  which  includes  support  for  education,  health,  sanitation,  water  supply, skill  development,  livelihood,  infrastructure,  etc.  Major  part  of  infrastructure  development and provision of basic amenities in tribal areas / regions in the country is carried out through various schemes / programmes of concerned Central Ministries and the State Governments concerned, while the Ministry of Tribal Affairs provides additive to these initiatives by way of plugging critical gaps. A list of schemes / programmes administered by Ministry of Tribal Affairs is at Annexure I .

Further, t he  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  administers  'the  Schedule  Tribes  and  Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (in short FRA)'. The FRA  has  been  enacted  to  recognize  and  record  rights  of  forest  dwellers  who  have  been residing in such forests for generations and whose rights could not be recorded and, secondly to empower them and their community institutions as statutory authorities with the power to protect  and  manage  forests.  Responsibility  for  implementation  of  FRA  lies  with  State Governments/UTs. As per information received from the State Governments, upto 30.04.2017,  41,70,191  claims  (40,31,766  individual  and  1,38,425  community  claims)  have been  filed  and  17,92,816  titles  (17,29,923  individual  and  62,893  community  claims)  have been  distributed  to  the  extent  of  1,37,47,389.80  acres  of  forest  land.  A  total  of  36,40,498 (87.30%)  claims  have  been  disposed  of.  Also,  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), FRA beneficiaries are entitled to a maximum of 150 days of work per household in a Financial Year.

The Census of India figures for the years 2001 and 2011 show that the literacy rate of Scheduled Tribes (STs) has increased to 59% in 2011 from 47.1% in 2001 at all India level. Various other  indicators  relating  to  health,  education,  livelihood,  living  conditions,  etc.,  in respect  of  STs,  as  reflected  in  Census  2011  and  other  socio-economic  survey  reports  have shown improvement in the status of STs. However, there are still considerable gaps  in the human development indicators pertaining to STs as compared to general population.

As  intimated  by  the  Department  of  Personal  and  Training  (DoPT),  information  on representation of STs in Central Government Departments / Ministries is collected by DoPT online.  The  representation  of  STs,  which  was  2.25%  as  on  01.01.1965,  has  increased  to 8.37% as on 01.01.2015.

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## Annexure I referred to in reply to part (c) of LokSabha Unstarred Question No.1372 for 24.7.2017 regarding 'Review of Benefits to Forest People'.

## Schemes being implemented by Ministry of Tribal Affairs for STs

|   S. No. | Name of the Scheme / Programme                                                                                                    |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Tribal Sub Scheme (TSS)(hitherto known as SCA to Tribal Sub Plan (TSP)).                      |
|        2 | Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution of India.                                                                        |
|        3 | Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students.                                                                                           |
|        4 | PostMatric Scholarship for ST students.                                                                                           |
|        5 | Girls &Boys Hostels for STs.                                                                                                      |
|        6 | Ashram Schools in Tribal Sub-Plan Area.                                                                                           |
|        7 | Vocational Training in Tribal Areas.                                                                                              |
|        8 | National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education for ST students.                                                         |
|        9 | National Overseas Scholarship for ST Students.                                                                                    |
|       10 | Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP. |
|       11 | Grants-in-Aid to State Tribal Development Corporative Corporations (STDCCs), etc. for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Operations.      |
|       12 | Grants-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations working for the welfare of STs.                                                          |
|       13 | Strengthening Education among Scheduled Tribe Girls in Low Literacy Districts.                                                    |
|       14 | Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).                                                                     |
|       15 | Institutional support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products / Produce.                                                 |
|       16 | Equity Support to National /State Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporations.                                           |
|       17 | Research Information &Mass Education, Tribal Festival and Others.                                                                 |
|       18 | Grant-in-Aid to Tribal Research Institutes.                                                                                       |