Lok Sabha Question No. 95 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-11-30
Subject: Tribal Advisory Council
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: MANOJ RAJORIA, SRIRAM MALYADRI, GEETHA KOTHAPALLI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 95

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.11.2015

## TRIBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

## †95.    DR. MANOJ RAJORIA: SHRI MALYADRI SRIRAM: SHRIMATI KOTHAPALLI GEETHA:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has set up/proposes to set up a Tribal Advisory Council aimed at welfare and development of tribal people and tribal areas;
- (b) if so, the details the Salient features thereof;
- (c) whether  some  states  are  yet  to  constitute  the  statutory  advisory  council  and  if  so,  the reasons therefor along with the steps taken to constitute the council immediately;
- (d) whether  the  Government  is  also  aware  that  most  of  the  labourers  and  daily  wagers engaged in infrastructure work being undertaken in different States are tribals; and
- (e) if  so,  the  measures  being  undertaken  by  the  Government  for  the    upliftment  of  these tribals?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA)

(a): In accordance with the provision of para 4 (1) of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution, the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) has been established in the States having Scheduled Areas namely Andhra Pradesh,  Chhattisgarh,  Gujarat,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Jharkhand,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. Besides, two other States viz, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, have also set up TAC.

(b):  Part B of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution provides for establishing a TAC in each State having Schedule Areas and also in any State having Schedule Tribes but not Schedule Areas. Some of the salient features envisaged in Para 4 (1) & (2) of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution on the TAC are:-

- (i)  A TAC shall consist of not more than twenty members of whom three-fourth shall be the representatives of the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of the State;

(ii)    It  shall  be  duty  of  the  TAC  to  advise  on  such  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and advancement of the Scheduled Tribes in the State as may be referred to them by the Governor; (iii)    The  Governor  may  make  rules  prescribing  or  regulating  as  the  case  may  be  on  the number of members of the Council, the mode of their appointment, the appointment of the Chairman of the Council, of officers and servants thereof, the conduct of TAC meetings & its procedure in general and all other incidental matters.

(c):  In  response  to  a  request  from  the  State  Government  of  Uttarakhand,  direction  of  the Hon'ble President has been conveyed to the State Government of Uttarakhand for setting up a TAC  in  the  State,  in  July,  2010.  The  Ministry  has  been  persistently  requesting  the  State Government  to  intimate  about  the  constitution  of  the  TAC.  State  Government  has  sent  no information regarding constitution of the TAC.

(d) & (e):  The Government is pursuing an integrated approach to enhance the socio-economic condition  and  self-reliance  among  the  ST  population  across  the  country.  The  Ministry  of Tribal Affairs under its Special Area Programmes provides funds as an additive to the State Plan  for  carrying  out  skill  development  and  employment-cum-income  generation  activities. The  Ministry  has  impressed  upon  the  State  Government  for  promotion  of  need  based integrated livelihood initiatives and skill upgradation of tribals to get them respectable jobs such as:

-  Diversified  crops,  horticulture,  dairy  development  with  State  cooperative,  backyard poultry, fisheries, apiculture, sericulture, etc. with proper market linkages.
-  Marketable  skills  like  (i)  Office  Management  (ii)  Solar  Technician/Electrician  (iii) Beautician (iv) Handicraft (v) Skills required for day to day construction works (such as Plumbing, Mason, electrician, fitter, welder, carpenter) (vi) Refrigeration and A/C repairing (vii) Mobile repairing (viii) Horticulture/Floriculture/Apiculture (ix) Nutrition & Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (x) Ayurvedic & tribal medicines (xi) IT (xii) Data Entry (xiii) Fabrication (xiv) Home Nurse Training (xv) Automobile Driving and Mechanics (xvi) Electric & Motor Winding (xvii) Security Guard (xviii) Housekeeping  &  Management  (xix)  Retail  Management  (xx)  Hospitality  (xxi)  Ecotourism.

With a view to ensure that funds through various sources under the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) are utilized in the most efficient manner towards achieving the holistic development of tribal people, the Government of India has launched a Central Sector Scheme 'Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY)'. The VKY is broadly a process, which aims at achieving overall development of tribal people through convergence of available resources, with an outcome-based approach, monitored  by  an  independent  agency.  It  covers  all  tribal  people  and  all  areas  with  tribal population  across  the  country.  Hence,  the  tribals  engaged  as  labourers  and  daily  wagers  in infrastructure  work  being  undertaken  in  different  states  are  covered  under  this  by  virtue  of their being tribals.

******