The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes for development of Scheduled Tribes. The Scheduled Tribes comprise about 8.6% of India's population (according to the 2011 census). In the year 2018, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs focused on education of tribal people, new initiatives to substantially step up economic empowerment of the tribal population as well as bring into spotlight the tribal culture by constructing museums to highlight the tribal freedom fighters. A very major thrust this year has been on revamping and overhauling the prominent scheme of setting up of Eklaya Model Residential Schools to expand the reach of good quality education among the tribal persons.

THE SALIENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR 2018

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has continued with its endeavours for socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes (STs) through specially tailored schemes for education, infrastructure and livelihood to fill in critical gaps. Allocation of Business Rules (ABR) of Government now mandates this Ministry to monitor ‘Tribal Sub-Plan’ (now recoined as ‘Scheduled Tribe Component’) funds of Central Ministries based on the framework and mechanism propounded by NITI Aayog. In order to consistently improve public service delivery, Ministry of Tribal Affairs constantly reviews various schematic initiatives, recent ones being rationalization of scholarship schemes besides on boarding of same on DBT platform and online portal for NGO Grants.   

Budget allocation of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has gone up from Rs. 5329.32 Crore in the year 2017-18 to Rs. 5957.18 Cr in 2018-19.  Ministry has already utilized 74.69% of its allocated outlay on various developmental initiatives for STs. An amount of Rs. 2385.90 Cr (as on 09^th December, 2018) has been released under two Special Areas Programme of the Ministry viz. Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme and Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution for Education, Health, Livelihood/Income Generation Activities etc. Similarly, allocation for Scheduled Tribes Component across all Ministries has witnessed an increase from  Rs. 31,920.00  Cr in the year 2017-18 to Rs. 37,802.94 Cr in 2018-19.   

With implementation of Public Financial Management System (PFMS), efficiency in funds allocation and monitoring its release has been improved besides enhancing transparency and accountability. All agencies receiving funds from the Ministry have been on boarded in the system. This facilitates real-time tracking of fund utilization by implementing agencies.  

MONITORING OF FUNDS FOR TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT

Allocation of Business Rules (ABR) amended in January, 2017 has mandated the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) for monitoring of STC funds of Central Ministries.  An online monitoring system has been put in place by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with web address http://stcmis.gov.in for monitoring of Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP)/Schedule Tribe Component (STC) funds. The framework captures data directly from Public Finance Management System (PFMS) and provides inputs to see through expenditure vis-a- vis allocations. Monitoring of physical performance and outcome of initiatives has also been introduced in the system.  A customized proforma has also been developed in MIS to capture location of ongoing projects and beneficiary details. Further, Nodal Officer have been designated in line Ministries/Departments for coordination and monitoring. Required credentials are shared with nodal officers for uploading data regarding output and outcome. Review meetings are held regularly for effective monitoring.  

There are 37 Central Ministries and Departments having STC funds catering to specific tribal development in various sectors through 299 different schemes, as reflected in the Statement 10B of the Expenditure Profile of the Budget, 2018-19.  Allocation for welfare of Scheduled Tribes across all Ministries has witnessed an increase from Rs. 24,005.00 crore in financial year 2016-17 to Rs. 31,920.00 crore in financial year 2017-18 and Rs. 37,802.94 crore in 2018-19. With the efforts of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the STC expenditure has gone up from 85% of total allocation at Revised Estimate stage in 2016-17 to 96% in 2017-18.  During 2018-19, out of total allocation of Rs. 37,802.94 crore, an amount of Rs. 23,772.05 crore has already been released as on 09.12.2018, which is 62.88% of the total allocation.  

As far as State TSP funds are concerned, vigorous efforts of MoTA has resulted in  98% increase in expenditure of State Tribal Sub-Plan funds by States during the years block of 2010-13 (wherein a total of Rs. 1,65,691.00 crore was expended) to 2014-17 (wherein a total of Rs. 3,27,574.00 crore were expended).” 

As on 09.12.2018, 63% of the total allocated STC amount has been released by different Central Ministries / Departments against various development projects relating to education, health, agriculture, irrigation, roads, housing, electrification, employment generation, skill development etc.    

SCHEME FOR EKLAVYA MODEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL (EMRS)

Eklavya Model Residential School is an excellent approach for imparting quality education to ST children. Apart from school building including hostels and staff quarters, provision for a playground, students' computer lab, teacher resource room etc. are also included in the EMRSs. The scheme aims to bridge the gap in literacy level between the general population and tribal population.

A total of 284 EMRSs have been sanctioned as on date, out of which 219 have been reported functional, with about 65,231 students enrolled therein.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in its meeting held on 17th December, 2018, has decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School. Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development. Accordingly, it is proposed to establish new EMRSs in the remaining 462 sub-districts by the year 2022 as per the phasing plan as given below: 

It has also been decided to set up an Autonomous Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs similar to Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to run the EMRSs.

The recurring cost has also been enhanced from the existing Rs. 61,500/- to Rs. 1,09,000/- per student per year from 2019-20.

The CCEA decision also spells out reservation of 20% seats under sports quota and 10% for non-ST students.

Rolling out the proposed scheme with a financial cost of Rs. 2238.47 Crores during 2018-19 and 2019-20.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

 An outlay of Rs. 118.65 Crore has been made to various states under the scheme Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS) and Grants under Article 275(1) for skill development of more than 31,000 male and female tribal beneficiaries in a wide gamut of trades such as (i) Planning and Management including 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) Nutrition (x) Ayurvedic & tribal medicines (xi) IT (xii) Data Entry (xiii) Fabrication (xiv) Paramedics and Home Nurse Training (xv) Automobile Driving and Mechanics (xvi) Electric & Motor Winding (xvii) Security Guard (xviii) Housekeeping & Management (xix) Retail Management (xx) Hospitality (xxi) Eco-tourism (xxii) Adventure Tourism. 

CONSTRUCTION OF MUSEUMS FOR TRIBAL FREEDOM FIGHTERS 

Government has conceptualized and planned setting up of permanent museums in States where Tribals lived, struggled against the Britishers, refused to bowdown to alien rule and were far ahead in making sacrifices. Ministry has decided to construct a state-of-the-art Museums for Tribal Freedom fighters of national importance in Gujarat with a total outlay of Rs. 102.55 crore and MoTA's contribution of Rs. 50.00 crore. The second national level museum is to come-up in Jharkhand with an outlay of Rs. 36.66 crore and MoTA's contribution of Rs. 25.00 crore. The Ministry has also shortlisted  four other states i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh  for construction of State level museums. Funds released to the states being as below,

ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER FOREST RIGHTS ACT (FRA) FROM THE PERIOD 31.12.2017 TO 10.12.2018

INITIATIVES FOR PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TRIBAL GROUPS (PVTGS)

      i.          Ministry has enhanced the allocation of funds for the development of PVTGs from Rs. 240.00 crores in 2017-18 to Rs. 260.00 crores in 2018-19.

    ii.          State Government have been given the flexibility of utilizing the funds using the gaps identified through Base Line Surveys.

  iii.          In order to ensure the overall development of PVTGs, emphasis is being given on Micro planning using GIS mapping of tribes.

  iv.          Emphasis in the Comprehensive cum Development (CCD) approach for preserving traditional architecture, traditional health practices, cuisine besides maintaining the heritage and culture of PVTGs. 

SCHOLARSHIPS SCHEMES          

     I.              Pre Matric Scholarship 

·            Inviting applications Online - States are either using their own portal or National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for obtaining online applications from students.

·            Financial assistance enhanced from Rs. 265.00 crores in 2017-18 to Rs. 350.00 crore in 2018-19 out of which Rs. 294.58 crore is released to states as on 06.12.2018.

 II.     Post Matric Scholarship

·         Inviting applications Online - States are either using their own portal or NSP portal for obtaining online applications from students.

·         Financial assistance enhanced from Rs.1347.07 crores to Rs. 1586.00 crores for 2018-19 out of which Rs. 1308.77 crore is released to states as on 06.12.2018.

III.    National fellowship and Scholarship Scheme for higher education of ST students.

         Financial assistance in the scheme for 2018-19 is Rs.100.00 crores.

(a)       Top Class Scholarship scheme

·            Inviting applications Online - NSP being used for inviting application from students studying in identified top class institutions.

·            Tuition fees are being disbursed directly to the Institutes while maintenance allowance to student’s individual accounts directly through PFMS.

·            87 new institutes added to the scheme during the year 2018.

(b)      Fellowship Scheme

·         Ministry took over implementation of scheme from UGC since 2017-18.

·         Inviting applications Online - Operationalised NFST portal for inviting fresh applications    online and 2302 applications for the year 2018-19 have been received.

·         Student queries are resolved through coordination with PFMS and Banks.

·         High priority accorded to persons with Disabilities, PVTGs, BPL and females.

(c).       National Overseas Scholarship for ST students.

·         Portal has been operationalised by the Ministry and hosted on Ministry’s NIC Server.

·         Flexibility introduced for courses of study to be undertaken by Students.

·         138 applications have been received for the year 2018-19, which are under process. 

(d).      DBT

·         Data is being collected every month and uploaded on DBT Bharat Portal. 

VAN DHAN YOJANA

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched a game-changing initiative for tribal people - The Van Dhan Yojana, with the launch of the first Van Dhan Vikas Kendra at Bijapur by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 14th April, 2018. It aims to provide skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility.

As per the plan, TRIFED  will facilitate establishment of MFP-led multi-purpose Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, a cluster of 10 SHGs comprising of 30 tribal MFP gatherers each, in the tribal areas. This initiative is aimed at mainstreaming the tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to MFP at grassroots level. Through this initiative, the share of tribals in the value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce is expected to rise from the present 20% to around 60%. About 3000 such Van Dhan Kendras are proposed to be set up in two years in the forested Tribal Districts of the country. To begin with, this initiative is proposed to be taken up on priority in the 39 Districts with more than 50% tribal population and to then gradually be expanded to other Tribal Districts in India.The initiative aims to promote MFPs-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans. MFP or what may be  more aptly referred to as Non Timber Forest Produces (NTFPs) are the primary source of income and livelihood for about 5 crore tribal people in the country.

AADI MAHOTSAV

Ministry of Tribal Affairs organized a National Tribal Festival named as 'Aadi Mahotsava' from 16^thNovember, 2018 to 30^th November, 2018 with the help of TRIFED to celebrate, cherish and promote the spirit of tribal craft, culture, cuisine and commerce at Delhi Haat, INA. This festival was inaugurated by Sh Jual Oram, Hon'ble Minister of Tribal Affairs.  

More than 1000 Artisans from 20 States, 80 Tribal Chefs and 14 Dance Troupes comprising more than 250 Artists participated in the Mahotsav. Highlights of the Mahotsav were – Live demos for traditional tribal food and drink; Lac bangles; demo for 4 different schools of painting i.e. Warli, Pithora, Gond and Saura; Fashion show for tribal textiles, fashion accessories etc. Tribal products displayed at Mahotsav included heritage collection of Sarees, Men’s collection including cotton, woollen and silk Jackets, Kurtas from MP, Rajasthan and Jharkhand; Bell Metal from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh; Paintings from Gujrat, Maharashtra, Odisha and MP; Woollens from HP, Uttaranchal and J&K; Honey, spices dry fruits etc. from different States; Tribal Jewellery from Himachal, Odisha, North-East, MP, Telangana; Pottery from Manipur, Rajasthan; Home Furnishing from Rajasthan, North East, MP, UP; Bags collection from Gujrat, Telangana, Jharkhand; and Grass Mat and Coir collection from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Kerala.

At the closing ceremony of the National Tribal Festival, Hon’ble Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Jual Oram felicitated tribal sportswoman - Ms. Mary Kom, for her extraordinary achievement of 6th time Women’s World Boxing Champion at Dilli Haat on 30th November, 2018, who is also Brand Ambassador for TRIBES India (Punchtantra range of products) .

 It has also been proposed that National Tribal Festivals shall be conducted in 17 States/ Union territories up to March, 2019 to provide a broad platform to highlight tribal culture across India.

NGO GRANTS

Implementation of Online application system “NGO Grants Online Application & Tracking System” (www.ngograntsmota.gov.in) activated for processing NGO proposals under the scheme of “Grant-in-aid to Voluntary Organizations working for welfare of Scheduled Tribes” has resulted in quicker information flow and smoother implementation of the scheme besides increasing the number of applications.   

MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE FOR MINOR FOREST PRODUCE

The scheme for ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of Value Chain for MFP” (known as MSP for MFPin short) was launched in the year 2013-14 and it then covered only ten MFP items and was applicable to the Schedule V States only.  Subsequently, in October 2016 the extent and coverage of the scheme was increased by adding more MFP items and also rendering the scheme applicable country wide.  The MSP of ten items that were originally incorporated into the scheme were further revised in November 2017.  The issues of further expanding the list of MFP items as also further revising the MSP of the existing MFP items are being considered by the Ministry.

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NB/SK/jk/Tribal Affairs /Year End Review/20-12-2018