In line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s emphasis on convergence as the backbone of last-mile governance, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), under the guidance of the Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs, convened a National Review Meeting on MoTA Schemes and New Interventions at Kartavya Bhawan-1, New Delhi, today. The meeting brought States, Union Territories and line Ministries together to rethink how tribal development is planned and delivered on the ground. The full-day conference marked a significant milestone in the Government of India’s efforts to move towards integrated, evidence-driven, and community-centered tribal development.

The meeting witnessed high turnout, with senior officers from more than 30 States and Union Territories and a wide spectrum of Central line Ministries and national institutions participating in person. The scale and diversity of participation reflected the growing national consensus around the need for deep inter-ministerial convergence and strong Centre–State collaboration to address the complex and multi-dimensional challenges faced by tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) communities.

The conference reviewed the progress and future roadmap of flagship initiatives such as PM-JANMAN and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), while also deliberating on a set of path-breaking pilot interventions being anchored by MoTA. These included district-led elimination of TB, malaria and leprosy in tribal areas; establishment of India’s first National Tribal Health Observatory; community-managed creche models for PVTG children; strengthening of Programme Management Units and FRA Cells at State and district levels; culturally rooted housing typologies for PVTGs; protection of sacred groves and restoration of socio-cultural sites; community-owned tribal eco-tourism and homestay models; Tribal Freedom Fighter Model Villages; working youth hostels for tribal migrants; and revised operational frameworks for Tribal Multi-Purpose Marketing Centres.

Through these interventions, MoTA is positioning itself not merely as an administering Ministry, but as a national convener and systems integrator, bringing together health, nutrition, livelihoods, housing, culture, youth development, and institutional capacity within a unified tribal development framework. A strong emphasis was placed on district ownership, Gram Sabha participation, cultural sensitivity, and the use of disaggregated data and analytics to guide planning and execution.

Discussions during the meeting underscored that while substantial progress has been made under existing schemes, significant efforts are still required to achieve full saturation and quality outcomes on the ground, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach tribal geographies. States and line Ministries reiterated their commitment to translating the deliberations into time-bound action plans, supported by robust monitoring and convergence mechanisms.

The conference concluded with a clear way forward focused on scaling successful pilots, strengthening State and district institutions, and ensuring that tribal development interventions lead to tangible, household-level improvements, while preserving the cultural identity and ecological heritage of tribal communities.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to continue working closely with States, Union Territories, line Ministries, research institutions, and development partners to ensure that India’s tribal development journey remains inclusive, dignified, culturally rooted, and future ready.

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