JAMMU, FEBRUARY 11: Minister for Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana, today chaired a high-level review meeting regarding the formulation of the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) by all the departments at the Civil Secretariat.
Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, Administrative Secretaries, Head of Departments and other senior officers participated in the meeting.
While addressing the meeting, the Minister stressed the need for creating a well-structured TSP to ensure inclusive development with emphasis on effective monitoring and execution.
Rana asked for ensuring greater coordination among all departments for the formulation of an effective plan to be submitted to the executive committee for vetting and approval.
The Minister asked all the departments to prepare a document that depicts what they have done over the past few years and what are their future plans so that the same is reflected in the budget proposals. He said that the department should hold consultations with the stakeholders to gauge the deficiencies confronting tribal development so that corrective measures are initiated wherever required.
Pertinently, the Tribal Sub Plan is a crucial initiative aimed at promoting the socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes through financial assistance for activities related to education, health and livelihood.
The Minister further emphasized the importance of adhering to the NITI Aayog guidelines saying that the tribal affairs department will serve as the nodal agency to coordinate with all other line departments.
He further highlighted the reasons for the underperformance of TSP funds like lack of unified planning, implementation, and monitoring mechanism and called upon the officers to iron out all these issues.
The Minister also impressed upon all the departments to earmark UT CAPEX funds proportionate to the tribal population as TSP as per Niti Ayog guidelines. He said that TAD should be consulted for planning to ensure villages with substantial tribal populations are covered.
He instructed for submission of a proposal for the constitution of the Apex Committee and the holding of regular meetings of the Executive Committee. He said that the Omar Abdullah government is committed towards the socio-economic empowerment of tribals and has undertaken many initiatives on this account.
Regarding proper financial management, he said that the grant under the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) meant for comprehensive development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should be used properly and the schemes be implemented completely. He also asked for adopting a more proactive approach to keep track of monitoring, fund utilization and implementation of schemes.
The Minister also reviewed the implementation of Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan which ensures holistic and sustainable development of tribal areas and communities. He directed the officers to effectively monitor progress on 393 villages that are to be covered under the first phase of DA-JGUA.
The Minister also discussed various aspects related to the scheme and other modalities for its successful execution to achieve the targets.
Pertinently, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan envisions the saturation of critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood.
