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MAJOR DECISIONS AND INITIATIVES
TRIBAL AFFAIRS
The UPA Government completes one year on May 21, 2005. During this period, the Government has taken several important initiatives. Some of these are being brought out in the series ‘Major Decisions and Initiatives’.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs communicated the funds earmarked to each State under various Schemes and the 1st instalment of grants to States was released in the very first half of the financial year.
Insurance Coverage to Primitive Tribal Groups
The Ministry had been receiving reports of unnatural deaths of Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) from various parts of the country. In order to provide social security to them, the Ministry has decided to provide them the benefit of insurance coverage under 'Janshree' scheme of Life Insurance Corporation of India in a phased manner. For the year 2004-05, funds to the tune of Rs. Five crore has been released for providing insurance coverage to one lakh Heads of PTG families in 16 States for a period of five years. The entire PTG population is targeted for insurance coverage within X Plan, i.e. 2005-06 and 2006-07.
The Ministry has also released Rs. Two crore during 2004-05 to the UT Administration of Andaman & Nicobar Islands for resettlement and rehabilitation of Tsunami affected PTGs.
Improvement of HDI of ST Population
In order to operationalise provision of National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) improvement in Human Development Index (HDI) of the Scheduled Tribe population and creation of critical infrastructure in tribal areas, the Ministry during the year focused attention towards development of core sectors through its schemes which broadly relate to income generation, creation of infrastructure in critical areas, empowerment of the ST communities through education with special emphasis on girls, augmenting productivity of the natural resource-base, including development of the lands of the STs by providing minor irrigation and other facilities to the extent possible, ensuring fair prices for minor forest produce, mitigate historical injustice done to the tribal communities living in and around the forests, etc. Intervention in these core sectors was aimed at supplementing efforts of Central Ministries/Departments dealing with their sectoral programmes and of the State Governments/UT Administrations and there by improving the overall human development indices of the target group so as to further the process of their socio-economic and political empowerment.
As regards development of educational infrastructure in the tribal areas, the Ministry is attempting to create physical infrastructure within easy rich of the tribal students in tribal areas through establishment of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (currently 90 in number), creation of educational complexes in pockets having less than 10 per cent literacy amongst women and by providing scholarships at all levels to the ST students.
The STs mostly own land, though productivity thereof is extremely low due to practice of rainfed agriculture. Assured irrigation in most of the cases is not available due to undulating terrain and inaccessibility of tribal areas. The Ministry requested all State Governments during the year to prepare specific projects for improving moisture requirement of the tribal lands through appropriate technologies, including watershed, water harvesting structures, minor irrigation, etc. The Ministry has received some proposals from the State Governments of Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, etc., and also specific projects for development of land of PTGs like Chenchus. An amount of Rs. 50 crore has been provided by the Planning Commission as additional funds for minor irrigation during 2005-06.
Pending conversion of the forest villages into revenue villages, the Ministry has, during the year, taken a lead to create infrastructure in and around 2700 forest villages creating basic amenities in terms of roads, drinking water, school building and hospitals, etc. Due to the Ministry’s pursuasion, the Ministry of Envioronment and Forests have recently accorded one time approval under Section 2 of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for allowing diversion of forest lands to Government Departments for taking up these activities. The State Governments have been requested to take immediate steps to identify the infrastructure required to be created in the States and accordingly projectise the same and include on priority for funding. To accelerate the pace of creation of infrastructure in the forest villages, an amount of Rs. 230 crore has been provided by the Planning Commission.
Land Rights of Tribal Communities
The rights of forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes who are inhabiting the forests for generations and are in occupation of forest land have not been adequately recognized so far, resulting in historical injustice to these forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes who are integral to the very survival and sustainability of the forest eco-system. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been mandated to formulate a “Scheduled Tribe (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill”, the main objective of which will be to undo this historical injustice by recognizing and vesting the forest rights and occupation in forest land of forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes who have been residing there for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. The forest rights recognised under the Bill would include responsibility and authority for sustainable use of forest land, bio-diversity conservation and maintenance of ecological balance, thereby strengthening the conservation regime while ensuring livelihood and food security of the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes. The Ministry proposes to introduce the Bill in the current Session of the Parliament.
Comprehensive Land Based Plan for Development
For effective and timely implementation of the NCMP, the State Governments have been requested to prepare comprehensive land based plans for overall development of the STs by taking up the developmental activities including minor irrigation on lands owned by STs.
Task Force to Address Tribal Issues
The Planning Commission has constituted a Task Group on Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on Selected Agenda items in the NCMP. Pursuant to the decision of the Task Group, an Inter-Ministerial Sub Group on Scheduled Tribes was also set up on October 4, 2004 under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Tribal Affairs, to suggest measures for overall development of STs and also affirmative action outside Government. The Sub Group submitted its report to the main Task Group on November 9, 2004. The report contains a number of recommendations and suggested strategies for the upliftment of Scheduled Tribes. The three major recommendations are:
a) There is a very strong need for a separate strategy in each of the sectors focussed on the tribal areas taking the social, economic and geographical parameters into consideration.
b) Instead of each Central Ministry/Department spending individually the 8 per cent of the funds allocated to them under the ‘Tribal Sub-Plan’ (TSP), there should be pooling of this fund in respect of the major welfare-oriented Ministries. The funds so pooled should be utilised for schemes identified on a centralized basis.
c) There should be a mechanism under the Planning Commission or the Prime Minister’s Office for planning and monitoring of projects and overseeing the functioning of the schemes under the pooled funds.
Creation of Infrastructure for Value Addition
It has been decided to focus on creation of infrastructure in the tribal areas, to enhance production capacity of the land and ensure value addition right at the grass root level. To operationalise the Ministry's decision of focusing on creation of infrastructure for value addition of the natural resource base, including minor irrigation on the tribal lands, the process of consultation with the State Governments at the regional level has also been initiated so as to have State-wise in-depth discussion. Conferences were held at Udaipur, Raipur and New Delhi, where projects were sanctioned. This was done for the first time in 25 years since the scheme was initiated. An amount of Rs.497 crore as against the budget of Rs.497 crore has been released to the States for taking up community-based income generating activities. An amount of Rs. 330 crore has been released under Article 275(1) of the Constitution to different States for infrastructure development projects and establishment of Eklavya Modern Residential Schools in the country.
Ownership Rights Over MFP to Tribals
The State Governments have been asked to confer ownership rights in respect of Minor Forest Produce (MFP), including tendu patta, on the Scheduled Tribes after providing definition of MFP, which should be all the traditional produce being produced by all the tribals, by amending the concerned State Legislations, as provided in the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. The Ministry has taken up this matter with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, who have drafted a Model State Minor Forest Produce (Ownership of Forest Dependent Community) Bill, 2004 for conferring ownership right of MFP on local communities.
Grants Under Educational Schemes
The Tribal Affairs Ministry is implementing need-based schemes in the area of education for ST population, viz, Post Matric Scholarship for ST students, Upgradation of Merit, Boys/Girls Hostel for STs, Establishment of Ashram Schools for STs in TSP areas, Vocational Training Centres and Educational Complex, etc.
Post Matric Scholarship (PMS)
It has been decided on account payments to the State Governments to the extent of 50 per cent of the Central share of the previous years, so that the ST students may get the scholarship in time.
Though the scheme of PMS was revised w.e.f. April 1, 2003, the increase in rates of PMS ranging from 50 per cent to 100 per cent on its various components was not followed by an increase in the Budget allocation. The Government took stock of this and increased the budget for the distribution of scholarship and arrears, wherever due, from Rs. 64.50 crore (allocated in 2004-05) to Rs. 229.65 crore during the year 2005-06.
The funds released under the Schemes since assumption of office by UPA Government are :
(Rs. in crore)
Name of the Scheme
Grant released
Post Matric Scholarship
101.38
Upgradation of Merit
0.39
Boys/Girls Hostel
13.00
Ashram School
5.50
Vocational Training Centre
4.50
Continuation of National Overseas Scholarship
This scheme, which was not continued after March 2001, was approved for continuation till 2007 by the UPA Government. Under this Scheme, ST students are sent abroad for higher studies, if they qualify as per the provision of the Scheme.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship
In compliance of NCMP, a new higher education oriented scheme – Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship - has been conceived to provide fellowships for M.Phil and Ph.D. courses and budget allocation for the same has been provided for the year 2005-06.
Scholarships/Fellowships to STs for Higher Studies
A scheme to provide 670 scholarships to Scheduled Tribe students for M.Phil and Ph.D. level studies in recognised institutions has been approved. They will receive fellowships and other benefits as per UGC pattern.
Newsletter "Janjatiya Jagran"
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has started a quarterly newsletter titled "Janjatiya Jagran" (both in English and Hindi). The purpose of this newsletter is to create awareness among the people and in particular the ST communities about the various schemes being implemented for the welfare of the STs.
Exchange of Visits by Tribals
This scheme enables the ST people below poverty line to visit other parts of the country for a period 10-12 days. The Union Government bears the entire expenditure. Under the scheme, a group of 10 persons sponsored by State/UT Governments visit places of their choice. This enables them to improve their perspective and also help create awareness about the developments taking place in the country. During 2004-05, 27 groups from 11 States undertook the exchange visit programme for which an amount of Rs. 23.81 lakh was spent.
RK:LV
PIB SF-12 (10.5.2005)
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