(GIST OF YOJANA) Important Initiatives of the Government for Welfare of Tribals

[AUGUST-2018]

Important Initiatives of the Government for Welfare of Tribals

Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 ,was enacted to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation of forest land in forest dwelling to Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, who had been residing in these forests for generations, but whose rights could not be recorded.

This Act not only recognizes their rights to hold and live in the forest land, but also grants several other rights to ensure their control over forest resources like right of ownership, access to collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce, community rights; habitat rights for primitive tribal groups and pre-agricultural communities; right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use.

Monitoring of Funds for Tribal Development: SCA to TSS

Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Scheme is a lOOper cent grant from Government of India. Its objective is to bridge the gap between Scheduled Tribes population and others by providing support for education, health, sanitation, water supply, livelihood, skill development, minor infrastructure etc. There are 37 Central Ministries and Departments having ‘Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP)’ funds [now called as ‘Scheduled Tribe Component’ (STC)] catering to specific tribal development in various sectors through 298 different schemes.

Grants-in-aid under First Proviso to Article 275

(l) of Constitution of India: This is a 100 per cent grant from Government of India. Funding under this programme is to enable the State to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the State for the purpose of promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in that State or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas therein to that of the administration of the rest of the areas of that State. Funds are provided to States for various sectoral interventions.

Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest

Produce: Minor Forest Produce (MFP) is a major source of livelihood for tribals who belong to the poorest of the poor section of society. The importance of MFPs for this section of the society can be gauged from the fact that majority of 100 million tribals depend on MFPs for food, fodder, shelter, medicines and cash income. This activity has strong linkage to women’s financial empowerment as most of the MFPs are collected and used /sold by women.

MFP sector has the potential to create about 10 million work days jobs annually in the country. Government of India decided to introduce an ambitious scheme of providing fair price for the MFP collected by tribals through Minimum Support price (MSP). The MSP scheme seeks to establish a framework to ensure fair prices for the produce collected by them, assurance of buying at a particular price, primary processing, storage, transportation etc while ensuring sustainability of the resource base. Initially, the scheme included 10 MFPs in 9 States. It was later expanded to 24 MFPs and in all States. The Scheme also envisages training of tribal MFP gatherers on sustainable harvesting and value addition activities including facilitation for marketing of the produces so that natural resources can be optimally utilized in a sustainable manner.

Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing a scheme namely “Development of PVTGs” which covers the 75 identified PVTGS among Scheduled Tribes in 18 States/UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is a flexible scheme and covers funding for activities like housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of energy for lighting purpose, social security including Janshree Bima Yojana or any other innovative activity meant for the comprehensive socio-economic development of PVTGs.

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Education Related Programmes:

The Ministry of Tribals Affairs offers pre-matric and post matric scholarships for needy Scheduled Tribe , students. The pre-matric scholarships have the twin objectives of supporting parents of Scheduled Tribe students for education of their wards studying in classes IX and X so that the incidence of drop out, especially in transition from the elementary to secondary and during secondary stage of education is minimized. The post-matric scholarship aims to provide financial assistance to the post matric or post secondary stage ST students to pursue higher education.

Assistance to Tribal Students for Pursuing Higher Education

Ministry of Tribal Affairs provides scholarships to students belonging to Scheduled Tribes for pursuing higher education at Graduate/ Post Graduate level in the fields such as Engineering, Information Technology etc. in identified Institutions of excellence under the scheme ‘National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students’. Financial assistance under the scheme is provided directly to beneficiaries and concerned institutions.

Equity Support to NSTFDC/STFDC

This is a continuing centrally sponsored i scheme under which Central Government provides equity support to National’ Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations (STFDCs) of various State Governments. STFDCs catering to STs in various states are provided assistance towards their Share Capital under the centrally sponsored scheme.

Financial assistance of the Corporation is provided for all kinds of viable income generating activity. Some of the schemes sanctioned by NSTFDC are as under: i) Dairy, Poultry, Pumpset/Minor Irrigation, Goatery, Piggery, Horticulture etc. in the Agricultural Sector. ii) Bamboo Furniture Making Unit, Flour/Rice Mill Unit, Steel Fabrication, Gem Stone Cutting and Polishing Unit etc under the Industrial Sector. iii) Automobile Workshop, Book Binding, Data Processing, Tent House etc under the Service Sector. iv) Auto Rickshaw, Goods Carrier etc under the Transport Sector.

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