MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) & (b): For development of rural areas through employment generation, strengthening of livelihood opportunities, promoting self-employment, skilling of rural youths, provision of social assistance, infrastructure development etc., the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyay – Gramin Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National RuRBAN Mission, Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) and National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in the country including Karnataka and West Bengal.
Under PMAY-G, 60% of the target allocated are being earmarked for SCs/STs subject to availability of eligible PMAY-G beneficiaries as per SECC 2011 through a saturation approach. DAY-NRLM also ensures adequate coverage of vulnerable sections of the society such that at least 50% of the beneficiaries are members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, keeping in view the overall target of 100% coverage of the rural poor households identified through SECC and through participatory processes of identification of poor households and approved by Gram Sabha. Under DAY-NRLM, 21% of the total funds is being earmarked to Scheduled Tribe Component. The State/ UT-wise total funds allocated under PMAY-G and DAY-NRLM during last three years and the current year are at Annexure I. The Ministry of tribal Affairs is implementing various programme for the development of tribal people such as (a) Institutional Support for Marketing and Development of Tribal Products/ Produce, (b) Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP, (c) Support to National/ State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations, (d) Pre-Matric scholarship for ST students (class 9 & 10) (e) Post-Matric scholarship for ST student (class 11 onwards), (f) National overseas scholarship for ST student, (g) National fellowship and scholarship for higher education for ST students. The details are at Annexure II.
(c): The Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers the implementation of The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Section 3(1) and Section 4 of the said Act provide for various forest rights of forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers of all forest lands, which also includes right of ownership, access to collect, use, and dispose of minor forest produce which has been traditionally collected within or outside village boundaries.
(d): Major rural development programmes implemented by the Ministry for creating rural infrastructure facilities are PMGSY, PMAY-G, MGNREGA etc. These schemes are being implemented across the rural areas of the country, including Karnataka and West Bengal. PMGSY is a one-time special intervention of Government to provide connectivity by way of a single all-weather road with necessary culverts and cross drainage structures, to the eligible unconnected habitations in the core network. The programme envisages connecting all eligible unconnected habitations with a population of 500 persons and above (as per 2001 Census) in plain areas and 250 persons and above (as per 2001 Census) in Special Category States, Tribal (Schedule-V) areas, the Desert Areas (as identified in Desert Development Programme) and in Selected Tribal and Backward Districts (as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs/Planning Commission). For most intensive Integrated Action Plan (IAP) blocks, as identified by Ministry of Home Affairs, the unconnected habitations with population 100 and above (as per 2001 Census) are eligible to be covered under PMGSY. PMGSY also permits upgradation (to prescribed standards) of existing rural roads in districts where all the eligible habitations of the designated population size have been provided all weather road connectivity.
(e): In order to ensure the programme benefits reach the rural poor of the country, including West Bengal, the Ministry has evolved a comprehensive multi-level and multi-tool system of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of rural development programmes, including Performance Review Committee Meetings, District Development Co-ordination and Monitoring Committee named as “DISHA” Committee meetings, National Level Monitors, Area Officers Schemes, Common Review Mission, Concurrent Evaluation and Impact Assessment Studies. based on the outcome of these reviews, steps as appropriate are being taken to benefit the poor people of the country including the state of West Bengal.
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