Context
Of late, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched a massive outreach programme to strengthen the delivery of two key tribal welfare schemes: the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA). Here, we have discussed in detail about tribal communities in India.
Overview of the Outreach Programme
(i) Scope: Targets one lakh tribal-dominated villages, aspiring to inundate them with welfare services as well as documentation support.
(ii) Key Objectives:
(a) Ensure doorstep delivery of services.
(b) Facilitate access to critical documents (Aadhaar, Ayushman Bharat, caste certificate, birth/death certificate).
(c) Facilitate tribal communities’ enrollment in significant welfare programs such as PM Jan Dhan Yojana, PM-KISAN, and pension schemes.
(d) Also, foster participatory governance through community mobilisation.
(iii) Implementing Strategy:
(a) Coordination and cooperation among central ministries, state dispensations, as well as local institutions.
(b) Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will play pivotal roles in mobilisation and documentation assistance.
PM JANMAN Abhiyan: Key Features
(i) Launched: 2023
(ii) Target Group: 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in 18 states and one Union Territory.
(iii) Focus Areas:
(a) Safeguard land and forest rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
(b) Provide housing, drinking water, healthcare, education, as well as livelihood support.
(c) Create infrastructure for digital and financial inclusion.
DAJGUA Scheme: Key Features
(i) Launched: 2024 by PM Narendra Modi
(ii) Focus: Infrastructural development in tribal villages
(iii) Coverage: 63,843 villages (identified under the Mission Antyodaya database)
(iv) Key Components:
(a) Roads, electricity, schools, health centres.
(b) Skill development hubs.
(c) Village knowledge centres and internet access
Significance of the Outreach Programme
(i) Last-Mile Connectivity: Cover remote tribal areas, often overlooked due to geography or administrative issues.
(ii) Bridging Documentation Gaps: Many tribal people don’t have formal documentation. So, this initiative ensures access to ID, bank accounts, and certificates necessary for leveraging government benefits.
(iii) Social Justice and Inclusion: Addresses age-old development chasms through legal entitlements and empowerment.
(iv) Strengthens FRA Implementation: Emphasis on providing title deeds under the Forest Rights Act (2006) could finally operationalise land rights for forest dwellers.
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Key Challenges and Structural Bottlenecks
(i) Landlessness and Displacement
(a) Historical Displacement: Schemes such as the Dimbhe Dam (1984) in Maharashtra displaced Katkari Adivasis. Their settlements remain undifferentiated, thereby making it quite difficult to access benefits.
(b) President’s Intervention: Last year, President Droupadi Murmu asked NITI Aayog to develop land allocation frameworks for tribals
(ii) Lack of Documentation
(a) Tribal families lack birth certificates, death certificates, Aadhaar, and bank accounts.
(b) Without these, it is not possible to avail of Ayushman Bharat, PM-KISAN, pension schemes, etc.
(c) The Katkari experience in Pune shows how bureaucratic inertia and tardy rehabilitation keep the most marginalised out.
(iii) Geographical Inaccessibility
(a) Tribal communities are found in thick forests, hilly regions, and areas of conflict.
(b) Poor road connectivity, communication network, and access to medicine further disenfranchised them.
(iv) Low Awareness and Trust Deficit
(a) Decades of exploitation have resulted in a deficit in trust between government authorities and tribal populations.
(b) Inadequate localised campaigning and language issues decrease scheme uptake
(v) Lack of Institutional Convergence
(a) Inadequate inter-ministerial coordination and coordination between central and state governments tend to result in overlapping schemes or inefficiency in fund utilisation.
Way Forward
(i) Strengthen Ground-Level Institutions
(a) Empower Gram Sabhas, Forest Rights Committees, and local NGOs to be active agents in outreach and documentation.
(b) Use tribal youth volunteers as intermediaries between the government and the community.
(ii) Technology for Inclusion
(a) Mobile Aadhaar vans, biometric enrolment devices, and offline digital tools can help overcome terrain challenges.
(b) Use AI as well as GIS tools to map excluded villages and vulnerable households.
(iii) Legal Recognition of Displaced Villages
(a) MoTA should coordinate with Revenue as well as Panchayati Raj departments to legally notify displaced and resettled tribal villages.
(iv) PVTG-Specific Strategies
(a) Formulate schemes for particularly vulnerable tribal groups, keeping in mind their non-agrarian livelihoods, nomadic culture, and different vulnerabilities.
(b) A real-time dashboard for its progress, with village-wise tracking of services delivered, should be there.
(c) Regular third-party audits and social audits to ensure transparency.
Conclusion
The outreach program initiated this year is an encouraging move towards realising the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” for tribal citizens of India. With a concerted effort, tribal communities can finally attain long-held land rights, identification, access to welfare, and respectful livelihoods.