Dehradun, Mar 9 (PTI) Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Sunday said the significant increase in the budget for tribal areas will not only benefit them but also ensure their active role in building a developed India.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters here, Oram said the Union Budget aims at creating a self-reliant India, with special focus on improving education, livelihood and infrastructure, particularly for tribal welfare. He said the budget allocation for his ministry has increased to Rs 14,925 crore, a 231-fold rise from around Rs 4,497 crore in 2014. This year’s allocation is 45.79 per cent higher than the previous year, he added.

Oram said the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana has been brought under the Dharti Aabha Janjati Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan and extended for the next five years with a budget of Rs 80,000 crore.

The funds will be used to address infrastructure deficiencies related to education, health and employment in tribal areas, boost the annual income of tribal communities, and promote their socio-economic development, he said.

The Dharti Aabha Janjati Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan will transform the condition of 63,843 villages over the next five years with an allocation of Rs 79,156 crore, Oram said, adding that the Centre will contribute around Rs 56,333 crore, while the states will provide Rs 22,823 crore.

In the initial phase, 17 ministries will be brought together to focus on major aspects of tribal development, including health, education, livelihood, and skill development, he said.

The tribal affairs minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made specific provisions in the Union Budget to ensure tribal areas not only benefit from development initiatives but also become active partners in achieving the goal of a developed India. PTI COR DPT DPT OZ OZ

Tribal welfare funding expanded to integrate targeted village development, infrastructure and livelihood schemes under a five-year programme. The Budget increases funding for tribal welfare and subsumes the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana into the Dharti Aabha Janjati Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, a five-year programme to remedy education, health and employment infrastructure shortfalls, raise tribal incomes and transform targeted villages through centrally funded projects with specified state contributions and inter-ministerial coordination.