ITANAGAR, Apr 4: Member of Parliament Ninong Ering has said that one single parameter to measure the development of tribals does not suffice as he emphasized the need for bringing all tribal groups into the mainstream for inclusive development.
Common schemes for tribes across the nation, is not equally beneficial for every group, he said adding that certain schemes are not necessarily beneficial for some groups at all”.
“India cannot sustain development, if we are unable to bring all the vulnerable tribal groups into the mainstream,” Ering said after he was informed in the parliament that there are 75 tribal groups that have been categorized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
The MP from Arunachal Pradesh opined that India has a diverse tribal culture and the tribes across the country have different levels of development. He urged the governments and all other stakeholders to make every effort to bring the tribal communities into the mainstream. Otherwise, the developmental divide will increase by manifold, he added.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Joal Oram informed Ering that “There are certain groups among STs, who have declining or stagnant population, low level of literacy, pre-agricultural level of technology and are economically backward. These groups are among the most vulnerable sections of the society as they are few in numbers and have not attain any significant level of social and economic development.
“In 1998-99, a separate 100% Central Sector Scheme for exclusive development of PVTGs was started, which has been revised with effect from April, 2015, to make it more effective,” the Minister said.
Ering on 2 April had asked the Minister whether there is any scheme of categorization of the tribes based on their developmental stage and the steps taken by the Government to measure and monitor the developmental state of the STs in the country.
However, Ering could not get verbal response from the Minister of Tribal Affairs due to disruption of the house. Later, he received a written response from the minister.
