KNOW YOUR MINISTRY – NO; 61 - TRIBAL AFFAIRS

KNOW YOUR MINISTRY – NO; 61 - TRIBAL AFFAIRS

The Ministry was set up in 1999 after the bifurcation of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment with the objective of providing more focused approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). The programmes and schemes of the Ministry are intended to support and supplement other Central Ministries, State Governments and partly of voluntary organizations, and to fill critical gaps in institutions and programmes taking into account the situation of STs through financial assistance. These schemes comprising economic, educational and social development through institution building are administered by the Ministry and implemented mainly through the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations. The Ministry also supplements the efforts of other Ministries by way of various developmental interventions in critical sectors through specially tailored schemes.

DIVISIONS – Scholarship, Tribal Research Institute (TRI); Research & Media ; Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS);  Livelihood, ST Welfare Grant, NGO, The Forest Rights Act (FRA),, Scheduled Tribe Component(STC) Monitoring, Constitutional & Legal Matters; Parliament & Coordination; Establishment & Vigilance; Policy & Grievances; Finance; Official Language; National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST); National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC);

IT INITIATIVES – Swasthya Portal;  DBT(Pre and Post Matric Scholarship); National Fellowship Scheme; National Overseas Scholarship; NGO Grants; Forest Rights Act; Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) Monitoring System(STCMIS); Sickle Cell Disease; Tribal Research Institute; Tribal Digital Document Repository; Tribal Repository; 1000 Spring Initiatives; Document Management System; GIS Enabled Entitlement Tracking System; Adi-Prasaran(Media Corner); Going Online As Leaders (GOAL);

TRIBAL ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED ON PRIORITY BY THE MINISTRY

5. High Poverty Rate amongst Tribal communities.
5. Mortality & Undernutrition
5. Access to Agricultural Lands and Capital Assets.
5. Increasing rate of unemployment
5. Increasing Illiteracy rate.
5. Social and Economic Discrimination
5. Extremism and related atrocities emanated on tribal communities.
5. Environmental degradation due to industrialisation on tribal belts leading to displacement.
5. Prevalence of Untouchability and unhealthy religious practices.
5. Violations on Economic, Political, Cultural, Civil & Social Rights.
5. Abuse and sexual crime against tribal women.
5. Non-availability of benefits of scores of social welfare programmes run by both Central and State Governments to the tribal communities.

WAY FORWARD

• Need for a Action Plan, Policies and Schemes to improve the living standard of tribal communities.
• To regulate and streamline for preservation of traditional culture value and practices of tribal communities that are affected by encroachers, poachers from non-tribal communities.
• To attach special attention of tribal and scheduled areas under the framework of constitutional provisions.
• To allocate adequate funds in both general and special sectors to cover all aspects of development of the tribal areas.
• To ensure provision of adequate administrative machinery to integrate all the sectoral programme and establish proper co-ordination based on integration at inter and intra departmental levels within the state as well as state and. central sectoral levels.
• To establish an effective personnel policy of the government avoiding frequent transfer of key personnel in administration providing adequate incentive to work in and for tribal areas
• To impart specialized training in tribal culture as well as the inculcation in them the spirit of social service to all personnel working in tribal areas.
• To adopt scientific planning and ensure implementation based on the findings of Research studies
• To eliminate politicization of the tribal issues and failure on the part of the tribal societies to throw in dedicated, articulate, and enlightened local leaders of political parties.
• To establish a scientific balance on policies related to Industrialisation and Tribal Welfare.