House panel apprehensive about PM-PVTG allocation

Subject : Schemes

Concept :

Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment expressed disappointment that such a massive budgetary allocation ( 15,000 crores ) had been planned when even the Ministry of Tribal Affairs does not have data on PVTG populations in several States and Union Territories.

PM- PVTG Development Mission

The Finance Minister announced the launch of a new scheme called the Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) Development Mission as part of the Union Budget 2023-24.
A fund of Rs 15,000 crore for the next three years has been allocated for the socio-economic development of the group.
It will be launched as part of ‘Reaching The Last Mile’, one of the seven Saptarishi priorities enlisted in this year’s Budget.
The PVTGs Mission aims to provide basic facilities like housing, water, road, telecom, education and health in PVTG areas across the country.
The scheme follows the strategic approach of Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana , which is need-based and strives to optimise utilisation of resources available under various programs and aims at specific outcomes.
Implementation: Among the ministries that are expected to be roped in along with Tribal Affairs Ministry, to implement the PM-PVTG Mission the Rural Development Ministry, the Water Resources Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Women and Child Development Ministry.

Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY)

The Scheme was launched in 2014 as a Central Sector Scheme by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The scheme aims at overall development of tribal people with an outcome-based approach, ensuring that all the intended benefits, goods and services through various programmes/schemes of Central and State Governments covered under the respective Tribal Sub-Plans actually reach them.

PVTG:

Particularly vulnerable tribal group

75 tribal groups have been categorized categorized by Ministry of Home Affairs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)s.
The criteria for identifying Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups are: –

PVTGs reside in 18 States and UT of A&N Islands.
Besides a number of schemes of Government of India and the State Governments where PVTG population are also benefitted along with other population, Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers a scheme namely ‘Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)’specifically for the PVTG population.
The scheme covers the 75 identified PVTGs in 18 States, and Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The scheme aims at planning their socio-economic development in a comprehensive manner while retaining the culture and heritage of the communities by adopting habitat level development approach.
The projects taken up under this scheme are demand driven.