(a) the progress of declaration 554 tribal habitations as Scheduled Area in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari districts, Andhra Pradesh;
(b) the reasons for delay in the conduct of the gram sabha; and
(c) whether the Government has taken any additional steps to expedite the process of declaration to ensure the provision of services to the region under Integrated Tribal Development Agency?
(a): That the expression ‘Scheduled Areas’ means such areas as the President may by order declare to be ‘Scheduled Areas’. Notification of a new Scheduled Area or modification to the extent of an existing Scheduled Area through adding, removing part or whole of a Scheduled Area from the list of Scheduled Area is through notification issued with the approval of the President of India as per the procedure. As per the procedure, the State Government submits a proposal with the recommendations of the Governor of the State to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the same is examined in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for adherence to the parameters for notification of Scheduled Area. Upon examination, the process of Inter-Ministerial consultation (IMC) is undertaken, following the IMC process a note is submitted to the Cabinet for its approval. Once the Cabinet approves the proposal, the Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs shall endorse the recommendation for obtaining the assent of the Hon’ble President of India. After President''s assent, a Constitution Order is issued through a gazette notification.
No proposal from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for declaration of Scheduled Areas in the State is pending in the Ministry..
(b): The Government of Andhra Pradesh has informed that the Gram Sabhas under Andhra Pradesh PESA Rules, 2011 were notified in 2013 and statutory Gram Sabhas have been held regularly in addition to the Gram Sabhas being held time to time as and when required.
(c): All the Welfare Schemes taken up by the Government of AP have been extended to the regions covered by the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs). Regulations to protectthe ST communities have been implemented in V Schedule areas covered by the ITDAs, additionally.
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