(a) whether the Government is aware of the relatively higher levels of poverty and indebtedness among tribal communities in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken by the Government to address the issues; and
(c) if not, the reasons therefor?
(a)to (b) Yes, Sir. As per the information provided by NITI Aayog, the percentage of Scheduled Tribes (STs) living below the poverty line, in both rural and urban areas, is higher than all communities taken together.Details are given below:
Year/community Rural Urban
2004-05 2009-10 2011-12 2004-05 2009-10 2011-12
STs(%) 62.28 47.37 45.30 35.52 30.38 24.10
All(%) 41.79 33.80 25.40 25.68 20.09 13.70
Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) (now called Scheduled Tribe Component) Strategy has been adopted by the Government for accelerated development of tribal people. It envisages channelizing the flow of outlays & benefits from all sectors of development to ST population.NITI Aayog has approved new Guidelines by obligating 41 Central Ministries / Departments in place of earlier 32 for allocation of funds for the welfare STs. Similarly, number of programmes also increased.
NITI Aayog has also launched another important initiative “Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ in January, 2018 with aims to strengthen these districts for immediate improvement and progress in critical areas of development viz. health, nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, basic infrastructure and financial inclusion & skill development. NITI Aayog has identified about 112 districts from 27 states and among the districts there are 27 districts with more than 50% Scheduled Tribes population and 13 districts with 2 or more Blocks having 50% or more ST population.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers two major programmes, namely, Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution and Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS), wherein funds are released to the State Governments inter-alia for reduction of poverty and unemployment, creation of productive assets and income generating opportunities. Also, the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, promotes entrepreneurial development amongst Scheduled Tribes. This Corporation provides concessional financial assistance to individuals or groups of STs for undertaking self-employment income generation activities through its channelizing agencies. The programmes and schemes of the Ministry support and supplement, through financial assistance, the efforts of other Central Ministries, the State Governments, and voluntary organizations, and fill critical gaps taking into account the needs of STs.
The Government has also taken various initiatives to ensure social inclusion such as scholarship schemes, reservation in education and employment, representation in Lok Sabha, State legislatures and Rural and Urban Local Bodies, subsidized credit facilities, entrepreneurship development and other infrastructure developmental programmes etc. by increasing allocations under various programmes and also bringing new programmes like schemes of start-up India and stand-up India, PM MUDRA, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana etc.
(c) Does not arise.
*****