Union Budget 2024: In govt outreach to tribals, a new scheme for development of 63,000 villages

In her Budget speech, Sitharaman said the government will launch the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan by “adopting saturation coverage for tribal families in tribal-majority villages and aspirational districts”.

The scheme signals continuation of the government’s welfare outreach to ST communities. In the previous Budget, Sitharaman had announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), a welfare scheme targeted to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been allocated Rs 13,000 crore, which is Rs 539 crore more than what was granted last time, and a massive 70% more compared to the revised estimate of Rs 7,605 crore for 2023-24.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has been allocated Rs 13,000 crore as compared to Rs 12,847 granted in the last Budget – 30% more than the revised estimate of Rs 9,835.32 crore.

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities was allocated Rs 1,225.27 crore, which was a paltry rise against last year’s Rs 1,225.15 crore.

Central sector schemes and centrally sponsored schemes of both ministries saw a rise in allocation. The Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), established to provide quality education to ST students in residential schools, were allocated Rs 6,399 crore, a rise of Rs 456 crore over last year’s allocation. The scheme’s allocation was revised down substantially to Rs 2,471.81 crore last year.

The post-matric scholarship for ST students also saw a rise in its allocation. From Rs 1,970.77 crore, the allocation was hiked to Rs 2,432.68 crore.

Furthermore, the PM Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM), which promotes livelihoods and entrepreneurship among ST communities, saw its allocation slashed by Rs 136.17 crore in this Budget. Last year, the scheme’s allocation was reduced to Rs 143 crore from `288.49 crore.

In the central sector schemes implemented by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the PM DAKSH scheme, which is aimed at skilling people from the SC and ST communities, saw its allocation increase from Rs 92.47 crore to Rs 130 crore.

The allocation for the National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for SCs, which provides comprehensive financial coverage for higher studies in foreign universities, was hiked to Rs 95 crore from Rs 50 crore.

The National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme, aimed at eliminating manual scavenging by replacing it with mechanised cleaning of sewers, was allocated Rs 116.94 crore compared to last year’s Rs 97.41 crore grant.