(a) : The details of the schemes / programmes being implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for overall development including support for education, health, sanitation, water supply, skill development, livelihood etc. for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in the country is at Annexure.
(b) to (d): The interventions under the scheme are demand driven and funds are provided to State Governments based upon proposals received from the State Government duly approved by Executive Committee and after appraisal and approval thereof by a Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) constituted in this Ministry for the purpose. Activities related to education, healthcare and economic empowerment etc. are funded under these schemes as per this criteria. Presently, 3 numbers of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) for STs are already functional in the district of Palghar, Maharashtra and 4 more EMRSs on the pattern of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is going to be set up in Palghar.
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Annexure
Annexure referred in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. †2259 by SHRI RAJENDRA DHEDYA GAVIT regarding “FACILITIES FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES”.
Brief details of schemes / programmes of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
(i) Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution:It is a 100% grant from Government of India. Funding under this programme is to enable the State to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the State for the purpose of promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in that State or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas therein to that of the administration of the rest of the areas of that State. Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy for overall development of tribal people across the country, which includes various sectors viz. (i) Education (ii) Health (iii) Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry (AH), Fisheries, Dairy & others in Primary Sector (iv) Other income generating schemes to augment Tribal household economy and (v) Administrative structure / Institutional framework & Research studies.
(ii) Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS):
The scheme of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) was introduced in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education exclusively to ST children with an objective to provide quality middle and high-level education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of reservation in high and professional educational courses and get jobs in government and public and private sectors.Realizing the importance of the EMRS, in the Union Budget of 2018-19, Government announced that “The Government is committed to provide the best quality education to the tribal children in their own environment. To realize this mission, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School. Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development."
It was a component of Grants under Article 275(1). During 2018-19, a separate scheme was introduced. In terms of the aforesaid Budget announcement, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), in its meeting held on 17.12.18, inter-alia approved the revamping of the EMRS Scheme. As on 30.10.19, there are 438 sanctioned schools across the country out of which 284 schools have been made functional.
(iii) Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organizations working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes: The prime objective of the scheme is to enhance the reach of welfare schemes of Government and fill the gaps in service deficient tribal areas, in sectors such as education and health, through the efforts of voluntary organizations, and to provide an environment for socioeconomic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
(iv) Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts: Scheme is exclusively for ST girls in 54 districts identified in the country, where the ST population is 25% or more and ST female literacy rate is below 35% or its fractions, as per 2001 Census. The scheme is being implemented through Voluntary Organisations /Non-Governmental Organisations and aims at enhancing the literacy rate of tribal girls, bridging the gap in literacy levels between the general female population and tribal women and reducing drop-outs at the elementary level by creating the required ambiance for education.
(v) Pre-Matric Scholarships to ST students: Applicable to students who are studying in Classes IX – X. Priority is given for girls. Parental income from all sources should be less than Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum. Scholarship of Rs.225/- per month for day scholars and Rs.525/- per month for hostellers is given for a period of 10 months in a year, Scholarships are paid @ Rs.225/- per month for Day Scholars and @ Rs.525/- per month for Hostellers, for a period of 10 months in a year. Scholarship is disbursed through the State Government/UT Administration. Funds shared at the ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and State Governments/UT Administrations and 90:10 for NE and Specially Category States/UTs (UT of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) from 2014-15 onwards and for UT without legislature 100% Share is released by Centre.
(vi) Post Matric Scholarship to ST students: Applicable to students who are studying in any recognized course from a recognized institution for which qualification is Matriculation/Class X or above. Priority is given for girls. Parental income from all sources should be less than Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum. Compulsory fees charged by educational institutes are reimbursed subject to the limit fixed by the concerned State Fee Fixation Committee and Scholarship amount of Rs.230 to Rs.1200 per month, depending upon the course of study is paid. Scholarship is distributed through the State Government/UT Administration. Funds shared at the ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and State Governments/UT Administrations and 90:10 for NE and Specially Category States/UTs (UT of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) from 2014-15 onwards and for UT without legislature 100% Share is released by Centre.
(vii) National Overseas Scholarships for ST Candidates for Studying Abroad: The Scheme provides for financial assistance to selected students to pursue Post Graduation, PhD & Post-Doctoral study abroad. A total of 20 awards are given every year. Of these, 17 awards are for STs and 3 awards for students belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Parental/family income from all sources should not exceed Rs.6.00 lakhs per annum. Disbursement of scholarships through the Ministry of External Affairs/ Indian Missions abroad.
(viii) National Fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students:
(a) Scholarship for Higher Education (earlier known as Top Class Education For St Students): Scholarship is given to ST students for pursuing studies in prescribed courses in any of the 246 institutions of excellence across the country like IITs, AIIMS, IIMs, NIITs, etc. identified by the Ministry. Priority is given to girls. Total number of scholarships is 1000 per year. Family income from all sources should not exceed Rs.6.00 lakhs per annum. Scholarship amount includes tuition fees, living expenses and allowances for books and computer.
(b) Fellowship (earlier known as Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship scheme for ST students): 750 fellowships are provided to ST students each year for pursing higher studies in India for MPhil and PhD. Fellowship is granted as per UGC norms. (Presently, @ Rs.25,000/- for JRF and @Rs.28,000/- for SRF).
(ix) Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS):- It is 100% grant from Government of India. Its objective is to bridge the gap between Scheduled Tribes (ST) population and others by providing support education, health, sanitation, water supply, livelihood, skill development, minor infrastructure etc. 9
(x) Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): The scheme of Development of PVTGs covers 75 identified PVTGs among Scheduled Tribes in 18 States and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the activities like education, housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of energy for lighting purpose, social security or any other innovative activity meant for the comprehensive socio-economic development of PVTGs. The activities related to educational development of tribals is also funded under the scheme.
(xi) Institutional Support for Development & Marketing of Tribal Products/Produce (Central Sector Scheme):-
This Central Sector scheme which is continuing since 1992-93, is being implemented through the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED), a multi-State cooperative Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the State Tribal Development Cooperative Corporations (STDCCS). The objective of this Scheme is to create institutions for the Scheduled Tribes to support marketing and development of activities they depend on for their livelihood. These are sought to be achieved by specific measures like (i) market intervention; (ii) training and skill up-gradation of tribal Artisans, Craftsmen, MFP gatherers etc.; (iii) R&D/IPR activity; and (iv) Supply chain infrastructure development.
(xii) ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ :Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest Produce scheme (MSP for MFP Scheme), started by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the year 2013-14, was the first step in the direction of providing fair price to tribals. Initially, the scheme included 10 MFPs in 9 States having Schedule V areas. It was later expanded to 49 MFP items and is applicable in all States. The Scheme is implemented through State level agency (SLA) appointed by the State Government. Ministry of Tribal Affairs provides a revolving fund to the SLA as also funds to develop infrastructure for safe storage, primary processing and value addition of MFP items in the ratio of 75% Central share: 25% State share.
The scheme seeks to establish a system to ensure fair monetary returns for their efforts in collection, primary processing, storage, packaging, transportation etc. It also seeks to get them a share of revenue from the sales proceeds with cost deducted. It also aims to address other issues for sustainability of process.
Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribal population by harnessing the wealth of forest i.e. Van Dhan at value addition and marketing centers namely ‘Van Dhan Vikas Kendras. The programme aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity.
(xiii) Support to National/State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations (NSTFDC/STFDCS): This is a centrally sponsored Scheme wherein funds are released by the Ministry to the NSTFDC, a CPSE under this Ministry and the State Tribal Finance & Development Corporation (STFDCs) by way of equity support against their respective authorized share capitals.
The main objectives of the scheme are, to identify economic activities of importance to the Scheduled Tribes so as to generate self-employment and raise their income level; to upgrade their skills and processes through both institutional and on the job training; to make existing State/ UT Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations (SCAs) and other developmental agencies engaged in economic development of the Scheduled Tribes more effective; to assist SCAs in project formulation, implementation of NSTFDC assisted schemes and in imparting training to their personnel; and to monitor implementation of NSFDC assisted schemes in order to assess their impact.
(xiv) Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) and Tribal Festivals, Research Information and Mass Education: The focus under these schemes of the Ministry is to promote tribal art and culture. Ministry has se t up Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) in the States. TRIs are maintained by the State Government. Further, the APEX Committee recommended for the TRI activities of the State Government. TRIs carry out various activities viz. research studies, evaluation studies, organization or training/ seminar/workshop, organisation of tribal festivals, baseline survey, publication, documentaries / documentation, organisation of exchange of visits etc. over the years.
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