Tribal Welfare Scheme Lags: Hostels, LPG, and Roads See Minimal Progress
Nearly two years into the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) — a government programme aimed at providing basic amenities in tribal-dominated villages — progress has been slow, according to a central review. The scheme, launched in October 2024, targets 25 interventions across 17 ministries.
Data presented in Parliament shows that only four out of 692 sanctioned hostels for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students have been completed. About 300 hostels have had foundation stones laid, but the Ministry of Education has released just 27% of the allocated funds.
Additionally, only 5% of targeted ST beneficiaries have received LPG connections under the scheme. Not a single road or bridge sanctioned to connect over 1,700 remote tribal villages has been completed.
Under rural housing, of the 17.2 lakh houses sanctioned, around 7.8 lakh have been completed. For on-grid electrification, about 34% of the 2.86 lakh targeted households have been electrified. The Jal Jeevan Mission has provided tap water to 47% of over 63,000 tribal villages.
Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey attributed delays to "procedural issues, land-related constraints, statutory clearances, and coordination challenges among implementing agencies."
