Lok Sabha Question No. 1 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-19
Subject: COVID-19 in Tribal Areas
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Prathap Simha, D. M. Kathir Anand, Annasaheb Shankar Jolle, B. Y. Raghavendra, Umesh G. Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 19.07.2021

## COVID-19 IN TRIBAL AREAS

1.   SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA: SHRI D.M. KATHIR ANAND: SHRI ANNASAHEB SHANKAR JOLLE: SHRI B.Y. RAGHAVENDRA: DR. UMESH G. JADHAV:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)      the measures being taken by the Government to ensure the vaccination of Tribal people and if so; the details of the percentage of tribal people vaccinate, State wise;
- (b)       the impact of COVID-19 on the people in tribal areas and if so, the details of the causalities from tribal areas State wise;
- (c)      the details of the percentage of death due to COVID-19 in tribal areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SMT. RENUKA SINGH SARUTA)

- (a)         COVID-19 vaccination drive has been ongoing across the country since 16th January 2021. Since  21st  June  2021,  'Revised  Guidelines  for  implementation  of  National  COVID  Vaccination Program' have come in effect according to which all citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free vaccination.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive does not make any discrimination on the basis of gender, socioeconomic class or residence etc. However, all efforts have been made to ensure vaccination of people in tribal areas including and not limited to options of registration at Common Service Centres, 'walkin registration' at COVID-19 vaccination centre and 'Near to Home Vaccination Centres for elderly people and people with disabilities'.

The CoWIN portal does not maintain record of religion or caste of the beneficiaries. However, in the 176 identified tribal districts, as on 15th July 2021, a total of 4.81 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. The State/UT-wise details of doses administered is at Annexure-1.

- (b) Tribal areas pose additional challenges and hence requires additional focus. Tribal communities are geographically and socioeconomically relatively segregated and have poor access to health  care.  Accordingly,  Government  of  India  has  issued  a  SOP  on  COVID-19  Containment  & Management in Peri-urban, Rural & Tribal areas.
- (c)         Such  centralized  data  on  COVID-19  mortality  with  Urban/Rural/Tribal  breakup  is  not maintained by the Government.

## Annexure1

## State/UT-wise details of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Tribal Areas

(As on 15 th July 2021)

| S. No.   | State/UT                    |   No. of Tribal Districts | COVID-19 Vaccine doses administered   |
|----------|-----------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |                         1 | 24,118                                |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh              |                         1 | 17,57,749                             |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh           |                        16 | 4,89,130                              |
| 4        | Assam                       |                         7 | 10,01,812                             |
| 5        | Bihar                       |                         6 | 30,85,679                             |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh                |                        19 | 57,80,523                             |
| 7        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli      |                         1 | 3,01,350                              |
| 8        | Gujarat                     |                        10 | 51,37,007                             |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh            |                         3 | 3,82,940                              |
| 10       | Jammu and Kashmir           |                         3 | 6,59,835                              |
| 11       | Jharkhand                   |                        19 | 62,55,460                             |
| 12       | Ladakh                      |                         2 | 2,46,019                              |
| 13       | Lakshadweep                 |                         1 | 60,540                                |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh              |                        19 | 62,14,624                             |
| 15       | Maharashtra                 |                         5 | 35,40,649                             |
| 16       | Manipur                     |                         5 | 1,57,879                              |
| 17       | Meghalaya                   |                         8 | 7,41,793                              |
| 18       | Mizoram                     |                         8 | 5,71,343                              |
| 19       | Nagaland                    |                        11 | 6,33,241                              |
| 20       | Odisha                      |                        14 | 44,98,193                             |
| 21       | Rajasthan                   |                         5 | 30,31,378                             |
| 22       | Sikkim                      |                         4 | 5,76,491                              |
| 23       | Telangana                   |                         1 | 3,81,523                              |
| 24       | Tripura                     |                         5 | 14,48,597                             |
| 25       | West Bengal                 |                         2 | 11,54,184                             |
|          | India                       |                       176 | 4,81,32,057                           |

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