MODI GOVT TO RESURRECT UPA INITIATIVE - Centre to Revive Tribal Council
Nidhi Sharma
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New Delhi:
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The Narendra Modi-led NDA government is all set to revive yet another initiative of its predecessor UPA. It is resurrecting the National Council for Tribal Welfare, an advisory and planning body similar to the erstwhile Planning Commission, after five years to give an impetus to tribal welfare programmes.NCTW was set up in 2010 by the Congress-led UPA government but the initiative never took off. The council remained only on paper. But now, with the Modi government's emphasis on tribal welfare programmes at both national and state levels, the council is being revived. Officials said the tribal affairs ministry has already prepared a note for reviving the council, as per which it will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and have as its members tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and chief ministers of all Schedule V and Schedule VI states that have sizeable tribal populations.
These states include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. “The council is a mechanism needed for better monitoring and planning of tribal welfare schemes,“ said Arun Jha, secretary (tribal affairs).
With Modi heading the council, the ministry hopes that there will be better coordination with states to iron out issues on implementation of Forest Rights Act. One of the biggest challenges before the Centre has been implementation of the tribal sub-plan. Central ministries and states keep aside a certain percentage of total outlay under the sub-plan. This money has to be spent on targeted tribal welfare schemes.However, the ministry has found that year after year either this fund remains unutilised or is used under general schemes. For instance, tribal sub-plan money is spent on mid-day meal schemes but the exact number of tribal beneficiaries is never known. This does not serve the purpose of the sub-plan.
These states include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. “The council is a mechanism needed for better monitoring and planning of tribal welfare schemes,“ said Arun Jha, secretary (tribal affairs).
With Modi heading the council, the ministry hopes that there will be better coordination with states to iron out issues on implementation of Forest Rights Act. One of the biggest challenges before the Centre has been implementation of the tribal sub-plan. Central ministries and states keep aside a certain percentage of total outlay under the sub-plan. This money has to be spent on targeted tribal welfare schemes.However, the ministry has found that year after year either this fund remains unutilised or is used under general schemes. For instance, tribal sub-plan money is spent on mid-day meal schemes but the exact number of tribal beneficiaries is never known. This does not serve the purpose of the sub-plan.
