The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, a branch of
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
, looks after the affairs of the tribal communities in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
by providing educational scholarships, grants to create more health infrastructure in tribal communities and direct cash transfer schemes to economically backward tribal families.
History
The ministry was set up in 1999 after the bifurcation of
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (India)
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backwa ...
to have a more focused approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the
Scheduled Tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
(STs), the most underprivileged of the Indian Society. Before the formation of the ministry the tribal Affairs was being handled by different ministries which were:
#As a Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs known as Tribal Division since after independence up to September 1985.
#Ministry of Welfare: From September 1985 to May 1998.
#Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment from May 1998 to September 1999.
Functions of the Ministry
#Tribal Welfare-Planning, Policy formulation, Research and Training.
#Tribal development including scholarships to STs.
#Promotion of voluntary efforts in development of STs.
#Administrative Ministry with respect to matters concerning Scheduled Areas.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the Nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes of development for Scheduled Tribes.
Organisations
Ministry has one Commission, One Public Sector Undertaking and one Co-operative Society under its administrative control, namely :
#
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is an Indian constitutional body that was established through Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003.
History
On the 89th Amendment of the Constitution coming into force on 19 February 2004, the ...
(NCST)
#
National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)
#
Tribal Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED)
Ministers
The Minister of Tribal Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and one of the
cabinet ministers
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
of the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
.
List of Ministers of State
Initiatives
Van Dhan Samajik Doori Jagrookta Abhiyaan
Amidst the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
crisis in May 2020 the TRIFED, a cooperative body under Ministry of Tribal Affairs registered under
Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act launched this scheme in order to educate the tribals in COVID related safety measures. Nationwide and state specific webinars were organised in order to bring awareness on the issue. The Ministry also revised
Minimum Support Price
The minimum support price (MSP) is an advisory price signal that is part of a larger set of agricultural policies in parts of India. This informal "support" price (as opposed to procurement or issue price) is recommended by the government and ai ...
(MSP) for
Minor forest products (MFP) to be procured from the tribals under ''MSP for MFP'' scheme meanwhile promoting door to door procurement and sale through mobile vans. The program was launched in association with
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
.
Swasthya portal
Ministry of tribal affairs launched the Swasthya portal, which will act as one stop solution for matters related to health and nutrition status of the
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
s. The Ministry's centre of excellence for knowledge management in health and nutrition will manage the portal and it will be hosted on
National Informatics Centre
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is an Indian government department under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The NIC provides infrastructure, IT Consultancy, IT Services including but not limited to architecti ...
cloud.
Going online as leaders program (GOAL)
The Ministry had partnered with
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
to launch "GOAL" program which aims at training 5000 tribal youths through digital education in order to make them emerge as the village level digital young leaders of their community. The scheme includes distribution of mobile phones for the promotion of digital literacy and to narrow the digital divide among various section of population.
ALEKH
It is an e-newsletter launched by the Ministry in order to showcase the efforts of various stakeholders which are involved in improving the health and wellbeing of tribal population. It will be launched on quarterly basis.
See also
*
Eklavya Model Residential Schools, started by the Ministry
*
Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare (Tamil Nadu)
The Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare (Tamil Nadu) is a state government ministry in Tamil Nadu. Sub - Departments
Undertakings & Bodies
Present Ministers (2011-2016)
* S. Damodaran - Minister for Agriculture
Former Mi ...
References
External links
Ministry of Tribal AffairsDepartment of Tribal Development of MaharashtraDepartment of Tribal Development of Madhya PradeshDepartment of Tribal Development of ChhattisgarhTribal Development Department, Himachal Pradesh
External links
Official Website, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India
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Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Tribal Affairs
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...