Lack of education, health infra persist in tribal areas

Update: 2025-01-09 12:50 IST

 Rayagada: India has Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of 10.45 crorecomprising 5.25 crore males and 5.20 crore females, as per 2011 census. This group represents 8.6 per cent of the totalpopulation and 11.3 per cent of the rural population.

Over 705 tribal communities live across remote anddifficult-to-access areas, each with unique cultural and linguistic traits. Despite India’s significantgrowth and advancements in socio- economic and human development, tribals still facechallenges in education and healthcare infrastructure.

Since Independence, various models for tribal development have been implemented, with theTribal Sub-Plan (TSP), established in 1974-75, evolving into Schedule Tribe Component (STC)and Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).

In the past decade, the budget allocation forDAPST has increased significantly, involving 41 ministries, including Ministry of Tribal Affairs.Although these efforts have improvedliteracy, health and livelihood, still significant gaps remain in infrastructure and human developmentindices compared to other social groups. Data from Antyodaya Mission (AM) in 2019 and2022 reveal that major socio-economic challenges stem from substantial service and infrastructuredeficits in tribal villages.

As India celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, it is vital to comprehensively address the critical

needs of communities in a time-bound manner. In this background, in theBudget 2024-25, the Union government announced Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat GramAbhiyan (PM JUGA). Its name was later changed to “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram UtkarshAbhiyan”. It aims at improving the socio-economic condition of tribal communities by saturatingtribal households and tribal majority villages, including villages in aspirational blocks havingsignificant tribal population with basic facilities, covering around 63,843 villages and benefitingmore than 5 crore tribal population in a set time-frame.

The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan envisions comprehensive development of tribal areas and communities by addressing critical gaps in infrastructure, healthcare, education and

livelihood. Through a coordinated approach and convergence of various Central schemes, the mission aims to ensure holistic, sustainable and inclusive growth, empowering tribalcommunities to thrive and flourish.

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