Government has focused on developing tribal human resource with a holistic approach over the last 9 years. Briefing mediapersons on 9 year achievements and Transformational initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in New Delhi today, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda said that Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in mission mode has been taken up as focus area for the first time ever.
The Minister explained that Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission will saturate PVTG families and habitations with basic facilities and stressed on education for PVTG’s. A fund of Rs 15,000 crore for the next three years has been allocated for the socio-economic development of the group.
He said that this is the first time a special scheme for PVTGs has been formulated to have holistic development with a data centric human development indexing for the PVTG groups.
Arjun Munda said that it was an historic occasion that recently on 12th and 13th June , the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu invited 20 members each from 75 PVTGs communities at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressed them in Central Hall of Parliament. The PVTGs attired in their traditional dresses brought their culture to the capital and got a first hand feel of being in the capital of their country where for the first time in 75 years after independence that the President of the country met them in Rashtrapati Bhawan, he said.
Giving details of the strides made in the education of tribal people, Sh Arjun Munda said that the Government is setting up 740 Eklavya Residential Model Schools(EMRS) which will serve 3.5 lakh tribal students with quality education. Over the next three years, 38,800 teachers and support staff will be recruited centrally for the 740 EMRSs. These schools will also lay emphasis on local languages to ensure that the students are not detached from their roots, he added.
The Minister said that Tribal Affairs Ministry implements 5 scholarship schemes under which scholarship is given to more than 30 lakh students every year with annual budget of more than Rs. 2500 cr. These scholarships are disbursed in DBT mode to ensure transparency and timely hassle free disbursals.
Arjun Munda also said that financial and technical support to strengthen health care systems to provide affordable healthcare to the poor and vulnerable population in the tribal areas is being taken up under National Health Mission. Government has targeted to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047 and under the Mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 , steps will be taken for awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
Arjun Munda said that Ministry of Tribal Affairs is working to develop over 36000 villages with at least 50% tribal population and 500 STs across the country into model tribal villages under Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna to provide basic amenities to tribal villages , and under which various ministries are now required to focus implementation of their schemes in these identified villages.
Union Minster Arjun Munda informed that Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) seeks to achieve livelihood driven tribal development across the country by providing forward and backward linkages by setting up Van Dhan Vikas Kendras / Van Dhan Producer Enterprises apart from assisting the States to make procurement of Minor Forest Produce(MFP) at Minimum Support Price(MSP). The mandate for implementing the same lies with TRIFED. As a result of its efforts, 77 MFPs have been added since 2014-15 to be covered under MSP for MFP scheme. Total MFPs being covered under MSP as on date are 87.
TRIFED also started a new concept of organizing ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ – Festival of Craft, Culture, Cuisine and Commerce in all major cities across the country in the year 2017-18, the Minister explained. Keeping in line with the mission of “Be Vocal for Local”, TRIFED organized Aadi Mahotsav at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi from 16th -27th February, 2023 which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and became a roaring success all over.
In another historic occasion for the tribal people, 15th November has been declared as “Janjatiya Gaurav Divas” on the Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda to celebrate tribal pride and pay tribute to tribal freedom fighters, he said.
Speaking on the Forest Rights Act Union Minster informed that21.99 lakh Individual titles and a total of 1.08 lakh Community titles have been distributed till date.
For the development of ST communities across the country, the annual budget of Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been on continuous increase. In 2023-24, a budget of Rs. 12461.88 Crores has been allocated to the Ministry which is 3 times compared to the budget in 2013-14 of Rs. 4295.94 Crore.
Massive 5 times increase has been made in the Budget allocation under Scheduled Tribe Component Funds. The allocation during 2013-14 was Rs. 24,598 Crores, which has been increased to Rs 1,19,509 Crores during 2023-24 across Union Ministries/Departments.
Arjun Munda said an amount of more than Rs 25,000 cr has been released to states under Article 275(1) in last 9 years for more than 5000 projects under different schemes and states have been directed to ensure implementation of schemes/projects under it with proper planning and monitoring.
