Govt to release first instalment of Rs 540 crore for pucca houses to 1 lakh vulnerable tribal beneficiaries

On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually interact with the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), the flagship central scheme launched in November 2023 for socio-economic welfare of PVTGs, spread across 18 states and Union Territories.

Simultaneously, in 100 districts, officials from both the Centre and the respective state governments will distribute benefits under the package to gram panchayats and village chiefs, said a statement issued by the Tribal Affairs Ministry on Sunday.

In the two months since the launch of the scheme on November 15, the government has sanctioned projects worth over Rs 4,700 crore through nine ministries under the PM-JANMAN package, said Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda.

PM-JANMAN, with a budget of Rs 24,104 crore, focuses on 11 critical interventions and is aimed at saturating PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Munda, who will join the event from Bishnupur in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, said in order to reach out to every household, more than 7,000 camps were organised in PVTG habitations of all 188 districts, to facilitate their Aadhaar cards, Jan Dhan accounts, Ayushman Bharat cards, and enable registration for different schemes under the mission.

During these camps held over the last one month, 72,000 new Aadhaar cards were made, more than 80,000 Ayushman Bharat cards were made, besides ration cards and Kisan Credit Cards, said the ministry statement. Many habitations and people were completely left out of the benefits of flagship schemes, because of remoteness of locations and lack of road and digital connectivity, it said.

Under the PM-JANMAN mission, the government has already sanctioned the building of 1,207-km roads in PVTG habitations; approved schemes to connect all left out PVTG households to the PM Jal Jeevan Mission; and sanctioned 916 anganwadi centres, 816 of which are expected to be operational by the end of this month.

It was in 1960-61 that the Dhebar Commission identified disparities among Scheduled Tribes, leading to the creation of the Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) category. In 2006, this category was renamed Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Initially identifying 52 groups, the category was expanded to include 75 groups in 22,544 villages across 18 states and one UT, totalling about 28 lakh individuals. These groups, living mainly in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, are characterised by pre-agricultural lifestyles, low literacy, small or stagnant populations, and subsistence economies.

PM Modi, meanwhile, will be on a two-day trip to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala from Tuesday to launch a number of development projects, including the New Dry Dock and the International Ship Repair Facility at the Cochin Shipyard Limited. The PMO said Modi will visit Sri Sathya Sai District in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and inaugurate the new campus of the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN). On Wednesday, PM Modi will offer prayers at Guruvayur and Thriprayar Shree Ramaswami temples in Kerala before inaugurating important infrastructure projects related to the ports, shipping, and waterways sector, the PMO said.