As per the 2011 Census, the Scheduled Tribal (ST) population in India exceeds 10.45 crore, constitutes over 8.6% of the total population and 11.3% of the total rural population. While there has been improvement in socio-economic development, tribal groups remain in remote and hard-to-reach places and face significant challenges in education, healthcare infrastructure and livelihoods.
In the post-Independence period, government programmes such as Tribal-Sub-Plan (TSP) and Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) aimed to rectify these problems, but their impact remains inconsistent. The government aims for complete development of tribal areas by bridging gaps through the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA). The mission aims to drive inclusive, sustainable growth and empower tribal communities to overcome the basic infrastructure and socio-economic challenges by merging a few government schemes.
The main goals of the initiative are:
Goal – 1: Developing enabling infrastructure
In tribal areas, this initiative focuses to refine basic infrastructure, including construction of pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for eligible ST beneficiaries. Moreover, it aims to provide access to tapped water under the Jal Jeevan Mission and improve the quality of power supply under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Along with these efforts, road connectivity under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), mobile and internet access under BharatNet, and infrastructure for health, education and nutrition under the National Health Mission, Samagra Shiksha and Poshan programmes, respectively, are being improved. Eligible ST households will also have access to gas connection provided through the Ujjwala Yojana and health coverage through the Ayushman Bharat Card (PMJAY).
Goal – 2: Promotion of economic empowerment
The programme aims to elevate economic self-reliance by improving skill development and entrepreneurship among ST youth through programmes such as the Skill India Mission and Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS). It also supports livelihoods through Tribal Multipurpose Marketing Centres (TMMC), promotes Tourist Home Stays, and strengthens agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries for FRA Patta holders.
Goal – 3: Universalisation of access to education
To optimise access to education, the Abhiyan targets achieving high Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) for ST students and supports infrastructure improvements, financial aid and digital learning. It also provides tribal hostels to facilitate education, especially in remote areas, ensuring tribal children can access quality education from school to higher education.
Goal – 4: Healthy life and dignified ageing
This objective focuses on boosting healthcare for ST communities by improving Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and immunisation coverage. It includes the deployment of Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) in remote areas and the establishment of Centres of Competency for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) management.
The initiative will be conducted over seven phases from 2024 to 2029, with each phase concentrating on specific activities, monitoring and scaling up interventions. Below is the proposed timeline:
Source: Department of Tribal and Scheduled Caste
Phase 1: Planning & Awareness (2024-2025)
Phase 2: Model Implementation (2024-2026)
Phase 3: Financial Mobilisation (2024-2025)
Phase 4: Convergence with Other Government Schemes (2024-2029)
Phase 5: Scaling & Monitoring (2027-2029)
Phase 6: Monitoring & Evaluation (2024-2029)
Phase 7: Sustainability & Exit Strategy (2028-2029)
The key activities are outlined below across four levels:
Central level activities
State level activities
District level activities
Block level activities
The initiative includes a wide array of interventions, spread across 17 ministries, with a focus on improving infrastructure, providing social services and enhancing livelihoods for tribal communities. These interventions are designed to address the specific needs of tribal areas and are aimed at ensuring holistic development, sustainability and empowerment.
Pucca Houses (PMAY-Gramin): Constructing 20 lakh houses for tribal households under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G).
Road Connectivity (PMGSY): Constructing 25,000 km of roads to connect remote tribal villages.
Water Supply - Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Providing functional household tap connections (FHTC) to every household and community water taps for hamlets with ≤ 20 households.
House Electrification (RDSS): Electrifying every unelectrified household and unconnected public institutions under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Solar Power Scheme (Off-grid Solar): Providing off-grid solar power systems for unelectrified households and public institutions not connected to the electricity grid.
Mobile Medical Units (National Health Mission): Setting up around 1,000 mobile medical units to provide healthcare in remote areas where health facilities are beyond 5 km in hilly areas and 10 km in plain areas.
Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY): Providing coverage for every eligible household under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.
LPG Connections (PM Ujjwala Yojana): Providing 25 lakh LPG connections to eligible tribal households.
Anganwadi Centres (Poshan Abhiyan): Establishing 8,000 new Anganwadi Centres, including the upgradation of 6,000 existing centres to “Saksham” Anganwadis.
Hostel Construction (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan): Constructing 1,000 hostels to support education for tribal children.
Poshan Vatikas: Establishing 700 Poshan Vatikas (nutrition gardens) under the National AYUSH Mission.
Universal Service Obligation Fund/BharatNet: Providing broadband connectivity to 5,000 tribal villages under the BharatNet initiative.
Skill India Mission: Establishing 1,000 Vocational Development and Training Centres (VDVKs) to provide skill development opportunities for tribal communities.
Digital Initiatives: Implementing digital initiatives to enhance access to information and services for tribal communities, with an annual fund allocation of ₹50 crore.
Sustainable Agriculture Support: Promoting sustainable agriculture practices for Forest Rights Act (FRA) patta holders, benefitting approximately 2 lakh households.
Fish Culture Support (PMMSY): Promoting aquaculture for 10,000 community-level and 1,00,000 individual beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
Livestock Rearing Support (National Livestock Mission): Providing support to 8,500 individual/group beneficiaries for livestock rearing under the National Livestock Mission (NLM).
Capacity Building (Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan): Providing training for Gram Sabhas and officers on Forest Rights Act (FRA) and other key local governance issues.
Tribal Homestays (Swadesh Darshan): Developing 1,000 tribal homestays with financial support of up to Rs. 5 lakh (US$ 5,925) for new construction, Rs. 3 lakh (US$ 3,555) for renovation and Rs. 5 lakh (US$ 5,925) for village community requirements.
PMAAGY - Multi-sectoral Interventions: Expanding the PMAAGY scheme to include 100 Tribal Multi-purpose Marketing Centres, improving the infrastructure of Ashram Schools, hostels, government/state tribal residential schools, and setting up Centres of Competence for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) management.
FRA & CFR Management: Supporting the establishment of FRA Cells and the implementation of Community Forest Rights (CFR) Management Plans, with a focus on ensuring better management and protection of tribal forest rights.
The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA) is determined to uplifting tribal communities through sustainable development, with an importance on improving infrastructure, livelihoods and access to essential services. By cultivating skill development and self-reliance, the initiative looks forward to enhance education, healthcare and the overall quality of life, helping to bridge the development divide and amplify the voices of tribal populations across India.