Lok Sabha Question No. 4100 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-19
Subject: Development Programmes for Tribals
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4100

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.12.2024

## DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR TRIBALS

## 4100. SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has implemented various development programmes for the tribals in the Left Wing Extremist infested areas and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the benefits of the programmes do not fully percolate to the tribals as a result of the slow pace of the implementation and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the remedial measures being taken by the Government to expedite the implementation of these programmes in such areas and bring these tribals into the mainstream?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)

(a) to (c) : Government is implementing Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) as a strategy for the development of Scheduled Tribes and areas having tribal concentration in the country.  Besides  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs,  41  Ministries/Departments  are  allocating  certain percentage  of  their  total  scheme  budget  every  year  for  tribal  development  under  DAPST  for various  tribal  development  projects  relating  to  education,  health,  agriculture,  irrigation,  roads, housing, electrification, employment generation, skill development, etc.

Further, Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing various schemes/programmes for the welfare and development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the country including Left Wing Extremist (LWE) infested areas. Details of major schemes/programmes implemented by the Ministry are given at Annexure .

To  address  the  Left-Wing  Extremism  (LWE)  menace  holistically,  the  Government  of  India approved the 'National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE' in 2015. This policy envisages a multi-pronged strategy that includes security-related measures, development interventions, and ensuring the rights and entitlements of local communities. On development front, several specific initiatives have been taken which include:

For expansion of road network, 14486 km roads have been constructed so far in LWE affected areas.

To improve telecom connectivity, 3609 mobile towers have been commissioned.

For financial inclusion , 5731 Post Offices have been opened in the LWE affected districts.

For skill development, 46 ITIs and 49 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been opened in LWE affected districts.

For quality education to tribals in LWE affected districts, 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been functional in LWE affected districts.

The  Government  is  undertaking  multiple measures  to accelerate the implementation  of development  programs  in  tribal  areas  and  integrate  these  communities  into  the  mainstream. Infrastructure development, including improved road connectivity and better access to education and healthcare, is being prioritized to address the challenges of remote locations. Efforts are being made to create sustainable livelihoods through skill development, promoting local entrepreneurship, and ensuring better market linkages.  Healthcare services and nutrition initiatives are also being expanded to improve the well-being of tribal populations. Online portals/dashboards are used to track progress of schemes and address shortcomings.

Further, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has undertaken the developmental activities for STs and in ST dominated areas through convergence of funds available with different Ministries/Departments under DAPST. Two new schemes/programmes - Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nayay Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) with total outlay of Rs. 24,104 crore and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh  Abhiyaan  with  total  outlay  of  Rs.79,156  crore  have  been  launched  for  targeted development of PVTG and STs in ST dominant villages respectively.

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Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4100  for  19.12.2024  by  SHRI  MANSUKHBHAI  DHANJIBHAI  VASAVA  regarding 'DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR TRIBALS'

## Brief details of major schemes/programmes being implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the country:

(i) Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan: Hon'ble PM launched Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram  Utkarsh  Abhiyan  on  2nd  October,  2024.  The  Abhiyan  comprises  of  25  interventions implemented by 17-line Ministries and aims to saturate infrastructural gaps in 63,843 villages, improve access to health, education, Anganwadi facilities and providing livelihood opportunities benefiting more than 5 crore tribals in 549 districts and 2,911 blocks in 30 States/UTs in 5 years. The Abhiyan has total budgetary outlay of Rs.79,156 Cr (Central share: ₹56,333 Cr and State share: ₹22,823 Cr).

(ii) Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN): Government has launched  Pradhan  Mantri  Janjati  Adivasi  Nyaya  Maha  Abhiyan  (PM-JANMAN)  on  15th November 2023, which is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. The mission with financial outlay of around Rs.24,000 Crore aims to saturate PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and  nutrition,  road  and  telecom  connectivity,  electrification  of  un-electrified  households  and sustainable livelihood opportunities in time bound manner in 3 years.

(iii) Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM): The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM), which has been designed through  the  merger  of  two  existing  schemes  for  the  promotion  of  tribal  livelihood,  i.e., 'Mechanism  for  Marketing  of  Minor  Forest  Produce  (MFP)  through  Minimum  Support  Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP' and 'Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products/Produce'.

The scheme envisages fixation and declaration of Minimum Support Price for the selected MFP. Procurement and Marketing operation at pre-fixed MSP will be undertaken by the designated State Agencies in the event of the prevailing market price of the particular MFP item falling below the stipulated MSP. Simultaneously other medium and long-term issues like sustainable collection, value  addition,  infrastructure  development,  knowledge  base  expansion  of  MFP  and  market intelligence development will also be addressed.

(iv) Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS): Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) was started in the year 2018-19 to provide quality education at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya to the  tribal  children  in  their  own  environment.  Under  the  new  scheme,  Government  decided  to establish 440 EMRSs, one EMRS in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011). 288 EMRS schools were initially funded under Grants under  Article  275(1)  of  the  Constitution,  which  are  being  upgraded  as  per  the  new  model. Accordingly, Ministry has set the target to set up total of 728 EMRSs benefiting around 3.5 lakh ST students across the country.

(v) Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution :  Under the Proviso to Article 275(1) of Constitution,  Grants  are  released  to  States,  having  ST  population  for  raising  the  level  of administration in Scheduled Areas and for the welfare of tribal people. This is a Special Area Programme and 100% grants are provided to States. Funds are released to the   State Governments depending on the felt needs of ST population to bridge the gap in infrastructure activities in the fields of education, health, skill development, livelihood, drinking water, sanitation, etc.

- (vi)  Grant-in  Aid  to  Voluntary  Organizations  working  for  the  welfare  of  Scheduled Tribes: Under the scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organizations working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes, the Ministry funds projects in the fields of education and health, covering residential  schools,  non-residential  schools,  hostels,  mobile  dispensaries,  ten  or  more  bedded hospitals, livelihood, etc.
- (vii)  Pre-Matric Scholarships to ST students :  The scheme is applicable to students who are studying in Classes IX -X.  Parental income from all sources should not be more than Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum. Scholarship of Rs.225/-per month for day scholars and Rs.525/-per month for hostellers is given for a period of 10 months in a year. Scholarship is disbursed through the State Government/UT Administration. Funding ratio is 75:25 between Centre and States for all States except  North  East  and  Hills  States/UT  like  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand  and  Jammu  and Kashmir where it is 90:10. For UTs without legislature sharing pattern is 100% Central share.
- (viii) Post Matric Scholarship to ST students: The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to the Scheduled   Tribe   students   studying   at   post-matriculation or post-secondary levels to enable them to complete their education.  Parental income from all sources should not be more than Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum. Compulsory  fees  charged by educational institutions  are reimbursed  subject  to  the  limit  fixed  by  the  concerned  State  Fee  fixation  committee  and scholarship amount of Rs.230 to Rs.1200 per month, depending upon the course of study is paid. The  Scheme  is  implemented  by  the  State  Governments  and  Union  Territory  Administrations. Funding ratio is 75:25 between Centre and States for all States except NE and Hilly States/UT of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir where it is 90:10. For UTs  without legislature sharing pattern is 100% Central share.
- (ix) National Overseas Scholarships for ST Candidates: The Scheme provides for financial assistance to selected students to pursue Post Graduation, PhD & Post-Doctoral study abroad.  A total of 20 awards are given every year.  Of these, 17 awards are for STs and 3 awards for students belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).  Parental/family income from all sources should not exceed Rs.6.00 lakhs per annum.
- (x) National Fellowship &Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students:
- (a)National Scholarship- (Top class) Scheme [Graduate level]: The objective of the scheme is to encourage meritorious ST students for pursuing studies in prescribed courses in any of the 265 institutions of excellence across the country like IITs, AIIMS, IIMs, NIITs, etc. identified by the Ministry. Family income from all sources should not exceed Rs.6.00 lakhs per annum. Scholarship amount includes tuition fees, living expenses and allowances for books and computer.
- (b) National Fellowship for ST students: 750 fellowships are provided to ST students each year for pursing higher studies in India for MPhil and PhD. Fellowship is granted as per UGC norms.

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