Link : Vanbandhu Kalyan YojanaDue to the persistence of gaps in tribal areas, the state government began to re-engineer its approach with a clear focus on outcomes.
Decision was made to review the existing approach of tribal development; and put in place a more focused strategy.
A program that would converged most of the TSP schemes, and involve private sector with a clearer focus was formulated.
Special focus areas identified :
- Qualitative & Sustainable Employment for tribal families
- Bridging infrastructure gaps with focus on quality
- Improving the quality of education
- Improving the quality of life in tribal areas
There was the emergence of Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana :
Government of Gujarat launched the Chief Minister’s Ten Point Programme for the Development of Tribal Areas on February 27, 2007. This programme seeks to enable the Schedule Tribe regions to merge with mainstream development by bridging the gaps between ITDP blocks and other parts of Gujarat. The ten focus areas of intervention under VKY during the XI Five Year Plan period were as follows :
- Qualitative & Sustainable Employment
- Emphasis on Quality Education & Higher Education
- Accelerated Economic Development of tribal areas
- Health for all
- Housing for all
- Safe Drinking Water for all
- Irrigation
- Universal Availability of Electricity
- All Weather Roads
- Urban Development
This major policy shift for the development of ST population was announced by the Hon. Chief Minister. Hon. CM has also assured an unprecedented budgetary provision of Rs. 15,000 crore in 11th five year plan. VKY is based on the broader concept of equity, addressing the specific needs of geographically marginalized ST, Primitive Tribe Groups and women. The state Govt. made the financial provision of Rs. 40,000 crore for 12th five year plan (2012-17).
The ten points were further elaborated for the implementing Departments and they were expected to follow the agreed blue print during the XI Five Year Plan period (years 2007-12). Some of the key features of the new approach to tribal development under VKY were that the Government has steered away from its previous approach to implementation of schemes where primarily only expenditure and coverage of number of beneficiaries were monitored. In contrast, interventions now aim at achieving defined outcomes with major emphasis on improving the quality of inputs in tribal areas and promoting the rights-based approach.
- Vision |Double the income of all tribal families, with a special focus on the migrant families and the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
Strategies
- Creation of more employment through productivity enhancement in agriculture sector
- Increase in animal husbandry and dairy based activities
- Quality skill training for tribal youth
- Development of modern, scientific and technical facilities, and linking them to tribal youth for increased livelihood opportunities
- Preference to women-headed household
- Vision | Access to quality education for every eligible tribal child and increased emphasis on higher education.
Strategies
- Higher Secondary Schools for science in each taluka.
- Provision for enrolling 1000 students in nationally recognized residential schools and creating a talent pool for Scheduled Tribes.
- Navodaya or Eklavya type residential schools in each tribal taluka and making them comparable with quality urban schools
- Establishment of 1000 additional hostels for college students Establishment of Arts, Science and Commerce colleges to cover remote and left out talukas.
- Establishment of excellent academic units including engineering and medical colleges, polytechnics, nursing colleges and ITIs.
- Vision | Double the income of all tribal families including migrant tribal families and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and facilitate economic growth in villages by providing basic facilities such as roads and energy network.
Strategies
- Annual allocation of Rs. 1 crore per taluka for development of identified economic activities through cluster based approach and market linkage
- Linking remote Scheduled Tribe areas to nearby economic centres through development of basic infrastructure and facilities such as roads, water supply, irrigation and continuous power supply in all tribal areas
- Value addition to local natural resources for higher returns to Scheduled Tribe families
- Vision |Support the socio-economic development of all tribal families by providing access to necessary amenities for a healthy living.
Strategies
- Benefits of Chiranjivi Yojana to all ST families
- Annual Health check-up programme for all ST families
- Financial assistance to BPL families in case of heart surgery
- Special drive for tackling endemic diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, leptospirosis, etc.
- Removal of malnutrition in pregnant and lactating mothers as well as children under the age of 6 through effective implementation of the schemes.
- Vision |Provide a house to each tribal family, including those from Particularly Venerable Tribal Groups, to improve their physical quality of life.
Strategies
- Housing for all ST families within the next five years.
- Vision |Provide access to safe drinking water to all tribal families for creating drinking water security and tackling poverty.
Strategies
- All ST families to get safe, assured and adequate drinking water within next 5 years.
- At least 25% of the ST population to get access to piped water supply.
- Vision | Assured income from agriculture to all tribal farmers by creating opportunities for irrigated farming and modern farming techniques.
Strategies
- Emphasis on group irrigation schemes.
- Creation of water conservation structures on watershed basis.
- Creation of more check dams in tribal areas.
- Financial and technical assistance for promoting drip irrigation.
- Undertaking drinking water cum irrigation projects in the upstream of dams.
- Identification of new medium and minor irrigation projects
- Emphasis on scientific water use and water management.
- Vision |Ensure universal electrification for all Scheduled Tribe households and villages for improved quality of life and economic development.
Strategies
- Electrification to all hitherto uncovered hamlets
- Alternate arrangements through solar energy for remote and dispersed hamlets
- Free electrification to all BPL families
- Vision |Promote wealth creation in tribal areas and improve the quality of life of all tribal families.
Strategies
- Improvements in the quality of roads in tribal areas
- All hamlets with population of less than 250 to be connected by roads.
- Special drive for repairing existing roads in tribal areas.
- Vision |Develop tribal towns as growth engines to augment the income of tribal families.
Strategies
- Development of 13 tribal towns to act as growth engines
- All tribal talukas to get broadband connectivity within next five years
