Printed by: Viba Press PVT. LTD. Ph.: 9810049515 MINISTR GOVERNMENT OFINDIA 2004-05 A R Y N OFTRIBAL E N P l R ; e so t O ; U r s R A AFF T L AIRS Overview The tribal population of the country, as per the and made non-divertible and non-lapsable on the 2001 census, is 8.43 crores, constituting 8.2% of pattern of such a pool for the North East and the total population. The population of tribes had thereafter programmes/schemes implemented grown at the rate of 24.45% during the period under a Tribal-centric policy in a more focused and 1991-2001. More than half the Scheduled Tribe integrated manner as against the present practice population is concentrated in the States of Madhya of spreading resources too thin in a disjointed Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, manner. Out of the Budgetary allocations made Jharkhand and Gujarat. during 2004-05, the Ministry also identified an amount of Rs.5322.42 crores as 8% TSP component The main concentration of tribal population is in of 35 Central Ministries/Departments dealing with central India and in the North-Eastern States. social sector programmes and also an amount of However, they have their presence in all States and Rs.2087.44 crores as 8% of the non plan Budget Union territories except Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, provision of Ministry of <ood & Public Distribution Pondicherry and Chandigarh. for better targeting of programmes aimed at The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, constituted in providing food and nutrition in tribal areas. It was October, 1999, is the nodal Ministry for overall for the first time that a separate statement, namely, policy, planning and co-ordination of programmes statement 20 has been added in the Expenditure of development for the Scheduled Tribes. In regard Budget Vol-1 for the year 2005-06 to separately to sectoral programmes and schemes of reflect an amount of Rs. 6253.04 crores for the development of these communities, policy, planning, welfare of SCs, STs, OBCs and other disadvantaged monitoring, evaluation, etc. as also their group. coordination is the responsibility of the concerned The total Tenth ive Year Plan outlay of the Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments Ministry, other than under the programmes of and UT Administrations. Each Central Ministry/ Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Tribal Sub-Plan Department is the nodal Ministry or Department (TSP) and Grants under Article 275(1) of the concerning its sector. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Constitution of India is Rs.1754.00 crores. The however, supports efforts of the Line Ministries and allocations to the schemes of SCA to TSP and administers schemes and programames for focused Grants under Article 275(1) are conveyed by the supplementation in various areas, in which Planning Commission on yearly basis. During the Scheduled Tribes are underserved. year 2004-05, the budgeted provision of the The Ministry, therefore, during the year forcefully Ministry was Rs.1146.00 crores (Plan) and played the role of advocacy at all available fora considering the expenditure position of the Ministry to reiterate the point that Tribal Sub Plan component upto 30th September, 2004 at 48% of the BE, the (8% for Central Ministries/Departments and in RE for the year 2004-05 were retained at the level proportion of ST population in the respective of BE. However, keeping in view the instructions of States) needs to be put in a separate budget head the Department of Expenditure issued in the month 1 of January, 2005 to restrict the expenditure in the development agencies on one pretext or the other last quarter of the financial year upto 33% of the like economic non-viability, high cost, etc. As a BE, the maximum permissible expenditure had to result, the physical infrastructure in the tribal areas be recalculated restricting it to Rs.1069.445 crores is inadequate and at a much lower footing than against which the Ministry spent an amount of the rest of the areas which also results in low Rs.1052.96 crores (tentative) i.e. 98.45% of this capacity of the economy in tribal areas to recalculated amount. In 2003-04 the expenditure meaningfully absorb funds including institutional. was 99.32%. The significantly higher achievement The gap in the infrastructure in the tribal areas during the last two years reflects the initiative taken vis-à-vis the rest of the areas is further widening at and efforts made by the Ministry towards speedy much faster rate. <or example, while on the one implementation of the plan and programmes. hand the quality of roads, health services, It is a matter of concern that Human Development telecommunications, distribution of power, etc. are Indices (HDIs) of the ST population continue to be improving in the country through participation of much lower than the rest of the population in terms private sector, the condition is deteriorating in the of all parameters, such as, education, health, tribal areas due to poor maintenance of already income, etc. To further compound the problem, created assets. Needless to add the private sector these deprived sections of the society also suffer would perhaps never find it economically viable to from the geographical and cultural exclusion, which invest in the tribal areas and in these social sectors are not reflected in the HDI. as investments would not fit into the commercial format of the private sector. The lifestyle of the Tribal people is conditioned by the eco-system and is in tune with nature and During the year the National Common Minimum natural resources. Tribal people, being essentially Programme (NCMP) of the United Progressive ecosystem people, the country's wide ranging Alliance Government provided specific directions diversity in nature and natural resources present a for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes which inter- varied tribal population throughout India's length alia includes and breadth. In general, most tribal populations inhabit under-developed areas of the country ● Legislation for conferring ownership rights in which are remote, having low density of population respect of minor forest produce, including and lacking in adequate access to basic amenities, tendu patta, education, employment opportunities and ● Launching of a comprehensive national affordable health care services. programme for minor irrigation of all lands Most of the tribal areas are the undulating owned by dalits and adivasis, plateau lands coinciding with the forest areas in ● Endowing STs with land through the country having much less density of population. implementation of land ceiling and land It is because of these reasons that creation of redistribution legislation, critical infrastructure in the tribal areas in the sectors of roads, communication, health, education, ● Reconciliation of the objectives of economic drinking water, etc. has always been left out by growth and environmental conservation, 2 particularly as far as tribal communities of the target group so as to further the process of dependent on forests are concerned, their socio-economic and political empowerment. ● Immediately review the overall strategy and As regards development of educational programmes for the development of tribal infrastructure in the tribal areas, the Ministry is areas to plug loopholes and to work out more attempting to create physical infrastructure within viable livelihood strategies, easy reach of the tribal students in tribal areas through establishment of Eklavya Model Residential More effective systems of relief and ● Schools (currently 90 in number), creation of rehabilitation for tribal and other groups educational complexes in pockets having less than displaced by development projects including 10% literacy amongst women and by providing rehabilitation of Tribal people alienated from scholarships at all levels to the ST students. land , The STs mostly own land, though productivity ● Discontinuing eviction of tribal communities thereof is extremely low due to practice of rainfed and other forest-dwelling communities from agriculture. Assured irrigation in most of the cases forest areas, is not available due to undulating terrain and ● Safeguarding the rights of tribal communities inaccessibility of tribal areas. The Ministry requested over mineral resources, water sources, etc. as all State Governments during the year to prepare laid down by law. specific projects for improving moisture requirements of the tribal lands through appropriate In order to operationalise provision of NCMP, technologies, including watersheds, water improvement in HDI of the ST population and harvesting structures, minor irrigation, etc. An creation of critical infrastructure in tribal areas, the additional outlay of Rs.200 crores was asked by Ministry focused attention during the year towards the Ministry from the Planning Commission for this development of core sectors through its schemes purpose. An amount of Rs.50 crores has been which broadly relate to income generation, creation provided as an earmarked and additional fund for of infrastructure in critical areas, empowerment of minor irrigation in the budget of 2005-06. the ST communities through education with special emphasis on girls, augmenting productivity of the There are large number of tribal people who are natural resource-base, including development of living in and around forests for generations. the lands of the STs by providing minor irrigation Their rights over the land occupied by them have and other facilities to the extent possible, ensuring not yet been adequately reognised, creating a fair