Government Boosts Tribal Development with PM Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan

The government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan, increasing the budget allocation for the tribal affairs ministry by nearly 70 percent. The program aims to enhance the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities, affecting 63,000 villages and benefitting five crore tribals.

The government announced the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan on Tuesday to improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities in the country, accompanied by a nearly 70 percent increase in the budgetary allocation for the ministry concerned.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her budget speech in the Lok Sabha, stated that the program aims to achieve saturation coverage for tribal families in tribal-majority villages and aspirational districts. This initiative will cover 63,000 tribal villages, benefiting five crore tribals.

The government has allocated Rs 13,000 crore to the tribal affairs ministry in the budget, a significant rise from Rs 7,605 crore in the previous financial year. An amount of Rs 6,399 crore has been designated for establishing Eklavya model residential schools to provide quality education to tribal students in remote areas. However, the budget for National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students has seen a reduction from Rs 230 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 165 crore in 2024-25. Meanwhile, financial support for the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY) has been increased from Rs 300 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 1,000 crore in 2024-25. PMAAGY provides funds to states and Union territories with notified ST populations for development and welfare activities intended to bridge gaps in education, health, agriculture, skill development, and employment opportunities for tribal populations.

(With inputs from agencies.)