Governance

21-Sep-2022: 3rd Regional Workshop on Cloud Computing for Digital Transformation Leaders conducted by NeGD, MeitY

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) organized the 3rd batch of capacity building programme in Cloud Computing for government officers of Central Line Ministries, State/UT Departments, Mission Mode Project officers, e-Governance Project heads and State e-Mission teams. These workshops are in continuation of the series of trainings on Cloud Computing - a major emerging technology in the digital world. The workshops were held from September 15-16, 2022 at the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Twenty-two officers from eight States / UTs, across the Central Line Ministries and Governments of Delhi, Gujarat, Manipur, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal and Bihar participated in the 2-day residential programme. Setting the tone of the programme, Ms. Shobha Ramesh, Course Director, NISG, asserted that the need to ensure security of data, management of environment for scaling of data, technology, reach and the standardizations to be followed thereof could not be ignored anymore in a world that is increasingly getting digitized. Shri Sanjay Gaden, Head SeMT, Gujarat, highlighted the interoperability of the system and cloud computing’s role in scaling up e-governance. He also highlighted other advantages of this emerging technology, in the disaster management plans, data protection and during pandemics etc.

The workshop brought together an array of subject matter experts from the industry, academia and the government to speak on key subject matters - cloud architecture, basic building blocks of cloud computing, data explosion, potential risks and challenges pertaining to cloud deployment, cloud’s role in digitally transforming e-governance and how it can provide scalable and elastic infrastructure, assess data requirements, and help manage bid data through distributed computing. The workshop duly highlighted the challenges in service delivery and various factors which affect the delivery of service like infrastructure, capability, scalability, etc. Live demonstration on auto scaling of cloud usage and benefits of auto scaling were given as well.

Day 2 of the workshop focused on common issues and challenges encountered while coordinating with government departments and strategies to overcome them by the executioners, introducing the participants to MeghRaj – GI Cloud, empanelment of cloud service offerings of CSPs and cloud provider selection, MeitY’s guidelines for cloud and key questions while procuring cloud services and cloud services procurement through GeM. Through use of case studies on CoWIN, Poshan Tracker and Digilocker, presentations on components of the projects, how the platforms were scaled, precautions taken and how business continuity was planned for all the applications was discussed.

The workshop was the third in the series of Cloud Computing trainings conducted for government officers. Under its Capacity Building scheme, NeGD is executing thematic trainings in order to build capacities of government officers, at both the Central and State levels, to ensure the availability of adequate knowledge, appropriate competencies and skill-set to optimally utilise the huge benefits of cloud computing in e-Governance practices.

5-Sep-2022: NeGD Organises 2nd Cloud Computing Training for Digital Transformation Leaders

In continuation of the series of trainings on Cloud Computing, which is a major emerging technology in the digital world, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) organized the second batch of capacity building programme in Cloud Computing for government officers of Central Line Ministries, State/UT Departments, Mission Mode Project officers, e-Governance Project heads and State e-Mission teams. The programme was held on August 25-26, 2022.

The two day residential training was held at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Mysuru. On the inauguration day, all 24 participants were welcomed by Mr. Chetan, Professor eGovernance, ATI Mysuru. Setting the tone of the programme, Mr. Shilohu Rao, GM, NeGD and Mr. Satyajit Rao Vagvala, SGM, NISG, explained the significance of being adept at Cloud Computing and its various aspects for the purpose of effective governance; whether one experiences a natural disaster, power failure or other crisis, having the data stored in the cloud ensures it is backed up and protected in a secure and safe location. Being able to access that data again quickly allows one to conduct business as usual, minimizing any downtime and loss of productivity.

The workshop brought together an array of subject matter experts from the industry, academia and the government to speak on key areas of the theme - cloud architecture, basic building blocks of cloud computing, regulatory and policy framework that support cloud computing, cloud provider selection and empanelment, MeitY’s guidelines for cloud, key concerns while implementing cloud computing projects including concerns of security and loss of control, policy and compliance, creative destruction, feature changes, forensics and migration, and future of cloud, among others. Live demonstration of how cloud computing requirements could be calculated by government departments was made for participants. Popular case-studies namely, CoWIN, Poshan Tracker and DigiLocker, which described how technology has been put to most effective use for citizens of India, was discussed.

This workshop was second in the series of Cloud Computing trainings for government officers. It had participation from officers of the State Governments of Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana and Central Line Ministries of GOI. The third workshop on the same thematic domain would be held on September 15-16, 2022 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

3-Sep-2022: NeGD, MeitY organises 30th Batch of Chief Information Security Officers’ (CISOs) Deep Dive Training Programme under Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative

Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative was conceptualised with the mission to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments, for ensuring adequate safety measures to combat the growing menace, and for organizations to defend their digital infrastructures and become future-ready in tackling cyber-attacks.

Operating on the principles of awareness, education and enablement, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under its Capacity Building scheme, organised the 30th CISO Deep-Dive training programme from August 22-26, 2022. Held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, the intensive 5-day training programme was designed for designated CISOs from Central and State/UT Governments, subordinate agencies/PSUs, including public sector banks and insurance companies, technical wings of police and security forces, CTOs and members of technical/PMU teams; as well as officers responsible to observe security of IT systems in their respective organisations.

The deep-dive training specifically aimed at educating and enabling CISOs to understand cyber-attacks comprehensively and thoroughly, get necessary exposure in latest technologies of safeguard, and translate the benefits of a resilient e-infrastructure to individual organizations and citizens at large. The training also focussed on providing a holistic view of legal provisions, enabling CISOs to formulate policies in the domain of cyber security and build concrete cyber crisis management plans.

The inaugural session of the programme was attended by eminent dignitaries - Shri Abhishek Singh, P&CEO, NeGD, Shri S.N. Tripathi, DG, IIPA, graced the occasion. Stressing upon the importance of cyber security in the present scenario of growing cyber-attacks, Shri Tripathi encouraged CISO officers to think innovatively and futuristically while supporting cyber security endeavours of their organisations. In his address, Shri Abhishek Singh insisted on the need of robust cyber security conduct at an individual level, and requested all CISO participants for use of properly licensed software. He also reminded them of various GOI initiatives in the said domain, particularly highlighting the very responsive National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) to address potential cyber threats on critical infrastructure.

The training programme brought together an array of subject matter experts from the industry, the academia and the government to speak on key domain issues of cyber security, such as, Governance Risk and Compliance, Emerging Cyber Security Trends, Landscape of Cyber Security Products in India, Network Security, Cyber Crisis Workplace Plan, Application and Data Security, Cloud Security, Mobile Security, Cryptography, Cyber Security Testing and Audit, Cyber Security related Provisions of IT Act and ISMS Standards including ISO 27001. An interactive presentation session by towards the programme’s culmination by participants enabled learnings from one another.

Launched in 2018, the CISO training is the first-of-its-kind of partnership between the Government and industry consortium under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Since June 2018, these programmes have capacitated 1,224 senior officials to secure digital infrastructure and systems of their respective organizations.

12-Aug-2022: NeGD organises Capacity Building programme in Cloud Computing for central and state government officials

The future roadmap of the digital revolution in India includes Cloud Computing in a big way. Alongside, e-Governance is already at the vanguard of revolutionising governance in the country from ‘system and power-centered’ to ‘resident and service-centered’.

Fusing the two together, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) organized the first batch of Capacity Building programme in Cloud Computing for government officials of Central Line ministries, State/UT Departments, Mission Mode Project officers, e-Governance Project heads and State e-Mission teams. The two-day programme was held on August 4-5, 2022, at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration covering participants from Delhi-NCR.

The programme is designed to build capacities, within the Government at both the Central and State levels, by adapting a synchronized approach to ensure the availability of adequate knowledge, appropriate competencies and skill-set to optimally utilise the huge benefits of cloud computing in e-Governance practices. Projects with cloud computing offers integration management with automated problem resolution, manages security end-to-end, and helps budget based on actual usage of data. At a national level, cloud architectures can benefit Government to simultaneously utilize resources optimally and also accelerate delivery of e-services. Project 'Meghraj', for instance, is an initiative of the Government of India with the aim of GI Cloud (Meghraj) initiative to fast-track delivery of e-services in the country, while optimising information and communications technology (ICT) spending of the government.

Setting the context of the programme, Shri Satya Meena, Director - Capacity Building, NeGD, said, “Technology has been leapfrogging over the past two decades and one such technology rapidly scaling up is the Cloud-based systems driving businesses and touching every aspect of our daily lives. Anything that is available via the internet has the service being delivered out of a cloud-based application and IT Infrastructure.” The programme’s course director, Shri Satyajit Rao, Senior General Manager, NISG, asserted that “Within this decade, Cloud Computing would replace the traditional data centres and emerge as the prominent solution for data analytics and storage.”

The workshop brought together an array of subject matter experts from the industry, the academia and the government to speak on key domain issues, such as, Cloud fundamentals, India’s Cloud journey, Cloud building blocks, procurement of Cloud services, regulatory and policy framework for Cloud, challenges associated with Cloud implementation and future of Cloud on digital transformation, with engaging presentations on successful Cloud use cases. Session discussions also featured essential training on various components of Cloud computing, such as, custom bidding for Cloud services, establishment of Pay-per-use and billing frequency with Cloud service providers, negotiation instruments for dynamic services under Cloud, best practices in Cloud procurement, focus on the Computing requirements, TRAI and MeitY guidelines on Cloud Computing and ITU global standards on Cloud Computing.

Witnessing attendance from 31 participants - mostly officers from Central Line Ministries, New Delhi and State Governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Goa, Mizoram and Uttarakhand - capacity building programmes on the theme of cloud computing would move forward with physical programmes to be conducted in the East, West and South zones of India, this year.

11-Oct-2021: NeGD and UN Women India celebrate International Day of the Girl Child with a webinar on “Cyber Safety for Women and Girls”

Keeping in tandem with the global needs of cyber safety and acknowledging the importance of cyber hygiene, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and UN Women India today jointly organised a webinar on “Cyber Safety for Women and Girls” on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child coinciding with the National Cyber Security Awareness Month celebrations.

The webinar marked the beginning of jointly launched series of initiatives by NeGD & UN Women India under the broader theme of ‘India’s digital dreams and cyber safety’ to encourage safe and equal online spaces for women and girls. The webinar acknowledged the gravity of rising cybercrimes and violence, and the need to encourage safe and equal online spaces for women and girl celebrations

In his keynote address, Shri Abhishek Singh, P&CEO, NeGD, CEO, MyGov & CEO and MD, Digital India Corporation emphasized on the need for enhanced cyber security awareness and noted that it is critical for all citizens to be digitally smart so that they don’t fall prey to cyber frauds, bullying, exploitation, cyber and gender-based violence. He underlined various steps being planned and undertaken by the Government of India in this regard. “Through The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, brought out in February 2021, Government of India is bringing sanity to the social media platforms that are commonly used and ensuring that the rights of everyone, especially women and girls, are protected,” he said.

Ms. Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Country Representative for India, expressed her optimism towards bringing about awareness and attitude change. She said, “UN Women has a long-standing partnership with MeitY to advance the rights of women through various initiatives like Shri Shakti Challenge 2021 edition and UN Women stands committed to work with NeGD in building back a better environment by creating safer and equal cyberspaces for women and girls”.

During the webinar, the panelists stressed upon the grave impact of cybercrime incidents on women and girls, and explained how the victims can be assisted. Ms. Vrinda Bhandari, Consultant, UN Women India shared, "Online violence against women is a serious cause of concern due to five broad factors - Anonymity, Accessibility, Perpetuity, Action at a distance, & Automation. To assist a victim of cyber violence, four steps are needed viz. Support the victim, Record the incident, Block the offender and Report the offence & the offender.”

Shri Rakesh Maheshwari, Senior Director and Group Co-ordinator, Cyber Law & eSecurity at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, highlighted the legal and technical aspects of cyber security, especially for women and girls. Speaking about the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, he shared that November 25, 2021 onwards, the Government is going to publicize in a big way the safety, security, & accountability features as available in the IT Rules, 2021. “We are going to come up with a set of FAQs on this particular document to ensure that people are able to understand it in simple language,” he said.

Worldwide, the month of October is dedicated to Cyber Security and is observed as the “National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM)”. The theme for NCSAM 2021 is "Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart". The theme envisages that individuals and organisations own their role in protecting their part of activities in cyberspace.

15-Sep-2022: Panchayati Raj Institutions have come a long way in adapting to technological advancements leading to greater transparency, responsibility and accountability

To support the ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ vision at the third tier of Government i.e., Panchayats, by the means of technology, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has organized the two-day Smart Village Panchayat Conference on ‘Empowering Rural Communities; Leaving No One Behind’ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The inaugural session of the national level conference today was led by Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Raj Singh, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil.

In his inaugural address, Shri Giriraj Singh said that Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have come a long way in adapting to technological advancements. While describing ‘SMART Villages’, he mentioned that they entail systems and processes which are driven by technology leading to greater transparency, responsibility and accountability. Shri Singh laid emphasis on the role of Central and State Governments and Elected Representative in visualising and implementing existing technologies. The Minister praised the Gram Panchayats regarding the adoption of Government eMarketplace (GeM), PFMS interface, Gram Manchitra (spatial planning), drone technology and put weightage on ‘Entrepreneurship’ in rural India which shall further support the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ vision.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Yogi Adityanath laid emphasis on the contribution of PRIs in Uttar Pradesh in driving India’s aspiration of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy. Shri Adityanath further mentioned that Smart Village creation is directly linked with self-sufficient infrastructure, responsible citizens and behavioural changes. He stressed on availability of high-speed internet for provisioning of various government and non-government citizen centric services. He stressed on the importance of four main pillars, which are also linked with eight subjects i.e., Good Governance for creation of Smart Panchayats i.e. provisioning and enhancements of basic infrastructural facilities of all Gram Panchayats (GPs), increased transparency and public participation in day-to-day functioning of the GPs, speedy resolution of public grievances and strengthening of public service delivery, and setting up of Common Service Centres (CSCs) in all GPs and provisioning of uninterrupted free Wi-Fi facility.

Addressing on the occasion, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil talked about longevity of social, economic and environmental welfare at grass root level by leveraging ICT, Internet, GIS and Remote Sensing. He laid emphasis on the challenges such as demand-supply management that Panchayats shall face while adapting to digital infrastructure, growing population and inevitable rapid urbanization. To make the rural development efficacious it is necessary to devise a strategy/model for executing and monitoring the process. A specially designed suitable framework based on Cluster approach, Public Private Partnership (PPP) along with Citizen Participation on the grounds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Regulations and Management will play important role to build next generation smart villages, he added.

During the Inaugural session, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Sunil Kumar apprised the participants on the importance of creating Smart Panchayats that are self-reliant and independent, in order to prevent the undue migration of young adults from rural India to cities in search of better job opportunities. Shri Kumar also mentioned that broadband infrastructure, digitisation (promoting digital service delivery) and educated manpower at village level lays the foundation of development. Examples of State level initiatives such as Village Level Entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, Smart Village – Smart Ward towards Smart Andhra Pradesh, Electricity generation of Odanthurai Panchayat in Coimbatore, and CCTV and biometric machines installation, air-conditioned classrooms, Wi-Fi coverage in Punsari Panchayat of Gujarat were cited in his address.

A book on ‘Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDG), Launch of e-learning module’ was released on this occasion.

This National Conference on Smart Village Panchayats, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj Department of Uttar Pradesh and Industry partners including CII, ASSOCHAM, COAI, marks a new beginning towards fostering digital transformation of rural areas. Smart Village Panchayat Exhibition has also been organised on this occasion.

Going forward, Panchayats which play crucial role for local governance at grassroots level would evolve as hub of economic activities and drive rural transformation towards achieving inclusive development, decentralized administration, good governance as well as towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 Agenda.

8-Jul-2022: Signing of MoU between Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for TB Elimination

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) here today. The MoU was signed by Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser on behalf of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj while Shri (Dr.) P. Ashok Babu, Joint Secretary (NTEP) signed on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in the presence of officials of MoPR and MoH&FW. The MoU will forge inter–Ministerial collaboration and strategic partnerships with the aim to achieving the Prime Minister’s ambitious target of Eliminating TB in India by 2025.

Shri (Dr.) P. Ashok Babu said that the MoU is expected to pave way for coordinated efforts at grassroots level to create mass awareness in rural areas to end stigma and discrimination associated with Tuberculosis and will help utilize the huge potential of nationwide network of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) / Rural Local Bodies for elimination of TB in India by 2025. This MoU will serve as a milestone to achieve the objective and target of TB Free India Campaign.

Speaking on this occasion, Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera said that the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has joined hands with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take forward the “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega” campaign in rural India that targets to achieve the health-specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target related to TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030. He assured to take up this cause to the nook and corner of rural India through the PRIs for their active involvement including due weightage in the Panchayat Development Plans towards elimination of TB.

Dr. Behera expressed hope that this Inter-Ministerial cooperation and collaboration between MoPR and MoH&FW would focus on creating awareness at grassroots level through active involvement of Panchayats / Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC), and would also support a range of possible collaborative activities towards the eventual eradication of TB from India by the year 2025.

The TB Free India Campaign has been launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to eliminate Tuberculosis in India by 2025, five years ahead of the targets set by the UN’s SDGs. It’s a commitment that signals Prime Minister’s firm resolve to fighting the disease in India which has the highest burden of TB in the world.

The main objective of this MoU is to forego convergence at policy, programme and implementation levels across the Ministries of the Government of India for a multi–sectoral and accelerated response towards TB Free India. MoH&FW has developed a National Strategic Plan (2017–2025) for elimination of TB in the country by 2025. Through Inter-Ministerial coordination MoH&FW aims to reach the population served by various Ministries such as workers, miners, migrants, Tribal Populations, Women and Children etc.

1-Jun-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises Yoga Utsav to mark the countdown programme to the eighth International Day of Yoga

Ministry of Panchayati Raj joined the Nation in celebrating the countdown programme to the eighth International Day of Yoga at the Ministry premises here today. A Lecture-cum-Demonstration Session on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life was organised to mark 20 Days to International Day of Yoga, 2022 as part of Yoga Utsav – Countdown Programme for International Day of Yoga, 2022 on the Theme: Yoga for Humanity.

The Yoga Utsav witnessed enthusiastic participation from all the officers and staff-members of the Ministry. To maximise the outreach of the event, the web-link was shared with the State / UT Departments of Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions to facilitate participation in the event through virtual mode and to sensitize the major stakeholders regarding the celebration of International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2022.

The Yoga Instructors deputed by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of AYUSH made a brief presentation on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life. A lecture on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life was delivered by Shri Tanuj Yadav, faculty-member of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, while Shri Muruli M.R., Demonstrator made demonstration on different Yoga poses/ postures / moves relating to Yoga Break (Y-Break), which is a protocol consisting of simple and useful Yoga practices devised to de-stress, refresh and re-focus on work and helps to increase the productivity of individuals at workplaces.

The countdown programme was chaired by Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and moderated by Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Speaking on this occasion, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj exhorted all the participants to make Yoga a part of their lifestyle for physical and mental well-being. He underlined that Yoga–Break can be of immense benefit to the officers and staff-members working in a government set-up. He suggested that everyone should strive for practicing Yoga on regular basis as it would help improve the health of all and also help keeping the body and mind clear and focused in daily life. Dr. B. K. Behera called upon all employees to adopt Yoga for a healthier and balanced life.

17-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Conference on Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village and Self Sufficient infrastructure Village

Iconic Week Celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of Ministry of Panchayati Raj concludes today with enthusiastic participation, attention and response from elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other key stakeholders. Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized a series of National Conferences as part of Iconic Week celebrations to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) during 11th -17th April 2022. More than 5000 participants during seven days brought the experience and shared learnings by Panchayats from different States and UTs ranging from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland to Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to Tamil Nadu, with Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. With commitment of collaboration from UN agencies, academic institutions and NGOs, central Ministries and States driving home the whole of society and whole of Government approach towards localisation of SDG at village level.

To fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya, nation has to fight against poverty and corruption. Poverty is the root cause of slow pace of development of any nation. Poverty is a major obstacle in progressive development, if development is to be accelerated, and then the problem of poverty has to be eradicated from the root. This is the main objective of the Sustainable Development Goals, which the Central Government, State Government and all the departments are trying to achieve.

On the 7th day of celebration of Iconic Week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Level Conference on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on (Theme-1 Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village) and (Theme 6: Self Sufficient infrastructure Village).

The programme was inaugurated by Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Hon’ble Minister of State for Panchayati Raj with the lighting of the lamp along with Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP.

Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj emphasised on the infrastructure that were developed in the recent days. He stated that infrastructure plays an important role in the development of society and eradication of poverty. In this context roads were constructed under PMGSY, high speed internet connectivity provided in Gram Panchayats, Gas pipeline established etc.

Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development shared that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 and the program of this Iconic week inspired a lot to Elected Representatives and functionaries. Each person should fight for his right and one should support in achieving this. Role of the Elected Representative is very important towards visualization of next 25 Years . Further he explained that the role SHGs in the development of the rural India is very important and we should promote SHGs activities. He also emphasised Village Poverty Reduction (VPRP) may be included while formation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). Thematic videos of Bancharoda Gram Panchayat of Chhattisgarh in poverty free village and Shala Gram Panchayat of Himachal Pradesh on Self-Sufficient infrastructure village were also played.

Joint Statement of Understanding was signed between Ms. Shoko Noda Resident Representative, UNDP-India and Shri. Sunil Kumar Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj for working together for the eradication of poverty and development of infrastructure in rural India.

In technical session-1, Shri Charanjeet Singh, Joint Secretary, MoRD presented his views and shared that inter-departmental convergence is very important and strengthening of monitoring structure is also to be done from time to time. Smt. Chhavi Jha, Joint Secretary, Dept.. of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare presented on LSDGs focusing on Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Agricultural Practices for Livelihoods and Dr. Ashutosh Ojha, Deputy Director-General, MOSPI presented on Role of SDG Indicators for progress analysis in Rural India.

In technical session-2, Shri Amit Kumar, Head Inclusive Growth, UNDP India, Shri Alkesh Wadhwani, Director Poverty Alleviation Country, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented on Localization of SDGs focusing on Sustainable Solution to Rural Livelihood Promotions for Poverty Alleviation and Infrastructure Development in the rural India.

Dr. Aruna Limaye Sharma, (Retd. IAS), Member Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) presented on Importance of Self Sufficient Infrastructure in GPs for Poverty Alleviation & Livelihood Promotions among rural Poor. Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Head, Centre for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology, Head, Agriculture & Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur shared his views on Technological Advancements to achieving Poverty Alleviation and Livelihood Enhancement GPs.

States of Maharashtra, Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh shared their experience, challenges and success stories in Poverty Free village and Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha on Self Sufficient Infrastructure.

Summing of the technical sessions and program, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Panchayati Raj exhorted the Elected Representatives of Panchayats to work for development of their respective Panchayats with renewed vigour and zeal. They should think out of box and bring about development by trying innovative measures. It was high time that the Panchayat representatives, officials and other stakeholders should work in tandem and convergence of efforts for achieving sustainable development at grass root level. He also emphasised that transparency and accountability should also be ensured which will instill confidence of poor and marginalised community in the Panchayats. He further hopes that the participants will be greatly benefited with the experience sharing by different panchayats/Institutions in all the 7 days and will try to replicate the same.

The concluding day celebration of the Iconic Week witnessed active participation of all the participants reaffirming the resolve of ‘Panchayaton ke Navnirman ka Sankalpotsav’.

13-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference on Localisation of SDGs on Child Friendly Village and Women Friendly Village as part of Iconic Week celebrations to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

“It becomes the responsibility of all the State Governments, knowledge partners and international agencies to support the Panchayats for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals”, said Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj while addressing the gathering of representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, representatives of UNICEF, UNFPA, senior officers of the Central Government and State Governments and other stakeholders, while inaugurating the National Conference on Localisation of SDGs on Child Friendly Village and Women Friendly Village. The weeklong ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav under the aegis of Ministry of Panchayati Raj entered the third day today. Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj chaired the inaugural session in the presence of the other dignitaries UNICEF India Representative Mr. Yasumasa Kimura, Chief of Social Policy of UNICEF India Ms. Hyun Hee Ban, Program Management Specialist of UNFPA India Smt. Anuja Gulati, and Smt. Jayashree Raghunandan, Additional Chief Secretary/DG (RD&PR) Training, Government of Tamil Nadu, Shri (Dr.) Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, MoPR and Smt. Rekha Yadav Joint Secretary, MoPR. A large number of elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats from across the country attended the National Conference.

In his keynote address, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj emphasised on bringing together all the Ministries and UN Agencies to take forward the Mission of attaining Sustainable Development Goals through strengthening the Panchayats. He also pointed that these Goals should be reached within a definite period of time and also to ensure the effective delivery of services to the Citizens through Panchayats. He also focussed on the monitoring & implementation mechanism of the process of Localisation through Dashboard to ensure attainment of thematic approaches of SDGs at village level.

Mr. Yasumasa Kimura, Country Head, UNICEF in his address stated that the focus is on Gender Transformative Programme working at Decentralised level and forming on System Strengthening. He also said that he was honoured to be a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Smt. Jayashree Raghunandan, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu emphasised on pressing need and urgency for Localisation of SDGs in PRIs through 9 thematic approaches. She also described detailed outline on the role of Panchayats in each thematic area through convergent actions of the relevant stakeholders.

Smt. Anuja Gulati, Programme Manager, UNFPA highlighted to attain the women friendly Village, women security, family planning, equal participation in the Rural Governance.

Ms. Hyun Hee Ban, Chief Policy and M&E, UNICEF India gave her insights on Child Friendly Villages. UNICEF wants to support the government for implementing Bal Panchayats and ensure child participation at the local governance level. She also discussed about the objectives of UNICEF that it shares its vision with Constitution of India which guarantee to give fundamental right to all its citizen like Right to education. She also stated that a Local Indicator Frameworks for every village based on their localised Gram Panchayats need to be prepared and to prioritize funding for critical sectors to children.

Shri Navendra Singh, Director, Ministry of Women and Child Development briefed on different flagship schemes of the Ministry and steps of the Ministry to localize the theme of Child friendly in the Village.

Sarpanch(es) of child-friendly Gram Panchayats from the States of Assam Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra shared the work done by them at the Gram Panchayat Level and importance of child representation at local governance level. With the session it was evident that their understanding on child rights has helped them in initiating changes at their villages.

Dr. Umakanth Dash, Director Institute of Rural Management Anand, IRMA focused on improvement in health services delivery to ensure Child Friendly panchayats through the use of different innovative models of technology in the arena of health.

Elected representatives from the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh shared their experience in making their Gram Panchayats women friendly and child friendly village.

11-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj to organize National Conference on Good governance as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is celebrating its iconic week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav from 11th April to 17th April, 2022. In this context, Governance Conference, Sushasan – Sugamta se Sampanta would be organized at SCOPE Auditorium (Convention Centre), SCOPE Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 12th April, 2022 (Tuesday). The event would be attended by representatives/ Senior Officials and Policymakers from different States and Resource Persons involved in Governance domain & improving services to citizens, along with various industry experts.

Panchayati Raj institutions are the instruments to carry out the programmes of rural development. In this endeavor, Governance would play a significant role in making Panchayati Raj Institutions functional and efficient. With the rapid expansion of the economy and the growing awareness and assertion of rights by the populace, the need and demand for good governance has increased. The Governance function evolves, becoming more citizen-oriented, citizen-centric, citizen-friendly, ensuring dedication, responsiveness and accountability of both official and Elected Representatives, towards Rural development.

With the Centre and State Governments together implementing various development programmes, Good governance is critical not only for ensuring social inclusion in the Government Programmes, but also for establishing accountability. Panchayati Raj Institutions have a definite mandate for realization of goal towards improving the quality of life in our rural areas. Thus, this Conference would serve as a fitting platform to share the various initiatives undertaken by the Central and State Governments towards this end.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.

6-Apr-2022: Strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions

As the performance of the Panchayats depends on the extent of powers and resources devolved to them, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has intensively engaged States for devolution of powers to the Panchayats. The status of State-wise devolution of 29 Subjects to the Panchayats is furnished in the Annexure.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), financial support have been provided to the States/ Union Territories (UTs) for various activities relating to strengthening of Panchayats including capacity building of PRIs. Similarly, by successive Finance Commissions, more funds have been provided to the States for distribution among Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as under:-

Tenth Finance Commission (1995-2000) : Rs.4380.93 crore
Eleventh Finance Commission(2000-2005) : Rs.8000.00 crore
Twelfth Finance Commission (2005-2010) : Rs.20,000.00 crore
Thirteenth Finance Commission (2010-15) : Rs.65160.71 crore
Fourteenth Finance Commission(2015-2020) : Rs.2,00,292.20 crore
Fifteenth Finance Commission(2020-2026) : Rs.2,97,555.00 crore

For the proper functioning of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, sufficient manpower has to be provided by the States and Union Territories (UTs) as the matter comes within their purview. Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been advising States/UTs in this regard from time to time.

In terms of Article 243H of the Constitution of India, the State Legislatures may, by law, authorize, the Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees; assign to the Panchayats such taxes, duties, tolls and fees subject to conditions and limits; provide for grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the State, and create its own fund to credit its money to. In terms of Article 243-I, the Governor shall constitute State Finance Commission every five years to review the financial position of the Panchayats and make recommendations to the Governor as to :-

the principles which should govern the distribution between the State and the Panchayats of the net proceeds of the taxes, duties, tolls and fees leviable by the State, which may be divided between them and the allocation between the Panchayats at all levels of their respective shares of such proceeds; the determination of the taxes, duties, tolls and fees which may be assigned to, or appropriated by, Panchayats, and the grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the consolidated fund of the state;
the measures needed to improve the financial position of the Panchayats and
Any other matter referred to the commission by the Governor in the interests of sound finance of the Panchayats.

17-Mar-2022: Union Panchayati Raj Minister Shri Giriraj Singh releases the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh released the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 17th March 2022, through video conferencing. The Disaster Management Plan was released in the presence of Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Krishna S. Vatsa, Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Shri Rajendra Singh, Member, NDMA, and other senior officers of the Government of India. Senior officers from the State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Disaster Management Authorities, State Relief Commissioners, also attended the event virtually.

Shri Giriraj Singh said that the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has developed the Disaster Management Plan with an aim to develop disaster resilience at the grassroots level among the Panchayats and establish a framework to align the disaster management measures in rural areas to that of the National Disaster Management Authority’. He also added that the convergent and collective actions to envision, plan and implement community-based disaster management plans, would be a game changer for our country in managing disasters comprehensively.

The Minister called for people’s participation in preparedness for disaster management and mitigation activities at grassroots level. Union Minister underlined that the involvement of the community is the key factor in any disaster preparedness strategy and active participation of the community is vital to carry out and sustain the activities relating to disaster management in rural areas. He stressed on the need to formulate Panchayat-level and village-level Disaster Management Plans to mitigate the challenges in the event of disaster. He says disaster management should be kept in mind while making a master plan for the holistic development of Panchayats in the country.

Shri Giriraj Singh recalled that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi appreciated the role of Panchayats in the management and mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic, especially in creating awareness and leading our collective battle against Coronavirus in rural areas. Union Panchayati Raj Minister expressed hope that Disaster Management Plan framed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj would also contribute to the efforts of the Government in bringing convergence in disaster management and planning in rural areas.

Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj highlighted that the “Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj” (DMP-MoPR) has been prepared with larger perspective of community-based planning starting from Village to District Panchayat level. Under the Plan, every Indian village would have “Village Disaster Management Plan” and every Panchayat would have their Disaster Management Plan.

During the event, a brief presentation was made by Shri Krishna S. Vatsa, Member, National Disaster Management Authority in which he highlighted the important role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Disaster Management Planning and the need for developing a culture of disaster risk resilience in rural areas. The event also saw participation from Shri Rajendra Singh, Member, National Disaster Management Authority.

The DMP prepared by Villages and Panchayats in consonance with the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj would be useful for addressing disasters in comprehensive manner. All stakeholders including PRIs, elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats etc. would participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the plan. It is believed that this plan would be extremely useful for ensuring a participatory planning process for DMPs which is integrated with GPDP for addressing disasters across the country and initiate new era of community-based disaster management, convergence and collective action with programs and schemes of different Ministries / Departments.

Background:

India has been vulnerable, in varying degrees, to many natural as well as human-made disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions. Different parts of the country are highly vulnerable to cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, etc. Considering the important role that local communities can play in reducing vulnerabilities and early recovery, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has prepared this Disaster Management Plan (DMP) so that all Panchayati Raj Institutions along with communities can be prepared for any disaster.

It is noteworthy that the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj (DMP–MoPR) incorporates many innovations in addition to being in compliance with Disaster Management Act 2005, National Disaster Management Policy 2009, and guidelines issued by National Disaster Management Authority.

The Disaster Management Plan comprehensively covers areas such as institutional arrangement for Disaster Management; Hazard Risk, Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis; Coherence of Disaster Risk Management across Resilient Development and Climate Change Action; Disaster Specific Preventive and Mitigation Measures-Responsibility Framework; Mainstreaming of Community Based Disaster Management Plan of Villages and Panchayats and so on.

26-Aug-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conduct door-to-door screening for TB in more than 68,000 villages under Aashwasan campaign

Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TB division of Ministry of Health and Family welfare organized a national conclave on 24th August at the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI), New Delhi to disseminate the learnings of the 100-day Aashwasan Campaign under ‘Tribal TB Initiative’.

Tribal TB Initiative is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Central TB Division, Ministry of Health, supported by USAID as technical partner and Piramal Swasthya as implementing partner.

The Aashwasan Campaign started on 7th January this year for active case finding for TB in 174 tribal districts of India, under the ambit of the Tribal TB Initiative. It was flagged off in Nandurbar District, Maharashtra. Under the initiative, door-to-door screening for TB was undertaken covering 68,019 villages. Based on verbal screening of 1,03,07,200

persons, 3,82,811 people were identified for Presumptive TB. Of these, 2,79,329 (73%) samples were tested for TB and 9,971 people were found to be positive for TB and put on treatment as per GoI protocols.

Addressing the event, Dr. NavalJit Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MoTA stated “The Aashwasan Campaign brought together about 2 lakh community influencers who wholeheartedly participated to make the campaign successful. These include tribal leaders, tribal healers, PRI members, SHGs and youth in the tribal areas- who were part of this campaign in the screening process and community awareness.” He complemented the efforts of Piramal Foundation and USAID who closely worked with Central TB Division, State TB Officers and District TB Officers. He further said that data indicates that the tribal communities are more vulnerable to respiratory diseases and TB, compared to other population groups. He asked all State Health departments to conduct Infrastructural gap analysis and seek funds from MoHFW and Ministry of Tribal Affairs through concerned Tribal Welfare Department of the state.

Sh. Vivekanand Giri, DDG Central TB division presented the Tribal TB Initiative of CTD. Dr Raghuram Rao, ADG said that the Central TB division is keen to work with tribal communities to address TB. With the data which has emerged through the Aashwasan Campaign, CTD will map TB hotspots and use that as the starting point.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Sangita Patel, Director- Health, USAID India congratulated the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Health on their commitment to address TB among the tribal communities. “It’s incredible when you think about what has been achieved with over 2200 members working at the community level. To think you were able to reach 10 million people, and from there actually identify 10,000 TB patients. I am heartened to see the commitment to go for 75 TB free tribal districts, but also to not leave behind the other tribal districts.”

As a way forward, to mark 75 years’ of India’s Independence, 75 high burden tribal districts have been selected for focused interventions in the coming months. A three-pronged strategy for the 75 Districts was presented, to be centered on:

Generating demand for TB services through continued engaged with community influencers who have been mapped during this process for community mobilization, increasing awareness on TB, symptoms, spread and treatment processes, and addressing stigma and fear associated with TB.
Improving the delivery of TB services by enhancing the TB testing and diagnosis infrastructure, leveraging PIPs and other sources of funding to address implementation gaps and provision of customized solutioning
Decreasing the risk of transmission and decreasing the pool of infections through active case finding campaigns

While presenting the way forward, Dr Shobha Ekka, Chief of Party, Piramal Swasthya, Tribal TB Initiative stated, “Piramal Swasthya is deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of the millions of tribal peoples living across India; and believes that TB-free tribal communities is the cornerstone of achieving a TB-free India”. Ms. Vinita Srivastava (Advisor Tribal health cell, Ministry of Tribal Affairs) and Dr Shailendra Hegde and Ashwin Deshmukh Sr VP, Piramal Swasthya attended the program. The event was also attended by State and District TB Officers, technical experts, community influencers and development partners.

3-Aug-2022: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has partnered with Microsoft and Meta for training tribal youth in digital skills and technology

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft in May, 2021. The initiative will enable the professional development of educators so as to train them to use technology in classrooms. Under the partnership, students from EMRS schools will be mentored on projects that involve AI applications.

The second phase of the GOAL Programme (GOAL 2.0) was launched on 28th June, 2022 in partnership with Meta (previously Facebook). initiative is aimed at digitally skilling tribal youth and opening up opportunities for them using digital technology. The State Tribal Welfare Departments and Tribal Research Institutes are being consulted and asked to create awareness about the program amongst tribal communities of the state.

27-Jul-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements various schemes for development of Scheduled Tribe dominated areas

This Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been implementing various schemes relating to education, health, economic empowerment etc. in the Scheduled Tribe dominated areas of the country. The receipt of Annual Proposals under these schemes is a continuous process which is considered by this Ministry as per schematic norms. The details of these schemes are as under:

Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS): It is a central sector scheme introduced in the year 1997-98 to provide quality education to Scheduled Tribes (ST) students (Class 6th to 12th) in remote areas through residential schools. As on date, 684 schools have been sanctioned by the Ministry, out of which 378 are reported to be functional.
Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India: Under this scheme, funds are released to States to enable them to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the State for the purpose of promoting welfare of Scheduled Tribes in that State or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas therein to that of the administration of the rest of the areas of that State.
Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY): ‘Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY)’, aims at providing Basic Infrastructure in 36428 villages with significant tribal population having at least 50% tribal population and 500 STs in convergence with Central STC and State TSP funds.
National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students: The scheme provides financial assistance or pursuing MPhil and PhD in Universities and for perusing graduate and post graduate courses in top 246 Institutes like IIT/AIIMS etc. .
National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) to the ST Students for Studies Abroad: Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided to 20 ST students every year for pursuing higher studies abroad.
Aid to Voluntary Organizations working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes: Ministry has been funding Voluntary Organizations (VOs) including Non-Governmental Voluntary Organizations (NGOs) working in tribal Hilly, remote and border areas for projects in Education, Health and Livelihood.
Venture Capital Fund (VCF) for Scheduled Tribes: From the year 2021-22, the scheme of ‘Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes’ (VCF-ST) has been taken up by the Ministry with a corpus fund of ₹50.00 crore for a period of five years for promoting entrepreneurship/start-up projects by ST youth.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM): This scheme has been conceptualized with the merger of two schemes i.e. (i) ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce through Minimum Support Price and Development of Value Chain for MFP (MSP for MFP)’ and (ii) ‘Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products’. PMJVM seeks to achieve livelihood driven tribal development through quality input, technology, credit and better marketing access etc.
Pre- Matric Scholarship: Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which financial assistance is provided to ST students studying in classes IX and X.
Post Matric Scholarship: Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which financial assistance is provided to ST students studying beyond class X.
Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRI): This scheme aims to strengthen TRIs to carry out research, documentation, training and capacity building activities and serve as a knowledge hub catering to overall tribal development. Tribal museums are also established under this scheme.
Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): This scheme adopts a habitat level development approach to improve the quality of life through intervention in housing, drinking water, education and health services, livelihood support, and cultural aspects.

27-Jul-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) initiated several projects to enhance digital connectivity of students of tribal communities

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has initiated several projects to enhance digital connectivity of students of tribal communities studying in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) across the country. These projects include establishment of smart class infrastructure along with internet connectivity in collaboration with ERNET, MEITY.

Ministry of Communications (MoC) is the Nodal Ministry to facilitate telecom and digital connectivity across the country including area inhabited by tribal community. Further, MoC is also mandated to have a separate STC component under various schemes which is envisaged to be utilized for enhancement of digital connectivity among tribal community. To that end, Mobile/ Broadband/ Internet services are provided in a phased manner by MoC and Telecom Services Provider (TSPs) in the uncovered villages of the country. The Government, with funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), has schemes, viz. BharatNet, Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for Aspirational Districts Schemes, Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for Islands etc. to extend Mobile/ Broadband/ Internet services in the uncovered villages/ Gram Panchayats of the country, including tribal areas.

23-Jul-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs felicitates Scheduled Tribe MPs and Tribal Padma Awardees

Celebrating the historical win of Smt. Draupadi Murmu, on becoming the 15th President of India, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, hosted the Tribal Padma Awardees and Scheduled Tribe Members of Parliament from across the nation at the National Tribal Research Institute in New Delhi today.

The Ministry organised Felicitation Ceremony for the Padma Awardees belonging to Scheduled Tribe community to pay tribute to their indispensable contribution for the welfare and upliftment of tribal communities. Further, an Open House Special Interaction with the Padma Awardees at the venue was also organised.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda; Union Minister of State for tribal affairs Smt. Renuka Singh ,Union Minister of State for Minority affairs Shri John Barla, Union Minister of state for Ministry of Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste, officials of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, DG NTRI and other eminent dignitaries were present on the special occasion.

The Padma Awardees present on the occasion shared their rich experiences and their journey of struggles.

On the occasion, Union Minister for Tribal affairs Shri Arjun Munda said that listening to the life’s journey shared by tribal Padma awardees today is a great experience.

He added that the Padma awardees and their journey as well as achievements are a source of motivation for everyone. They have made a tremendous contribution to the society. We must pay our tribute to these achievers who have made a difference on the ground, Shri Arjun Munda urged.

We must take inspiration from the awardees to transform the lives of Tribal people and tribal society from India@75 to India@100, he added. The Prime Minister has given the message of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat and Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas Sabka Vishwaas for everyone which will fulfill the dreams, hopes and aspirations of tribal people through our journey of Amrit Kaal , the Minister said.

The Union Minister for tribal affairs Shri Arjun Munda also chaired a review meeting with tribal MPs and ministry officials about the schemes and programmes of the Ministry.

Matters such as the impact of efforts in propelling the tribal cause and their overall development, were laid emphasis on and deliberated at length in the interaction.

The event is yet another milestone in strengthening cooperation, coordination and development for the tribal communities in India and will serve to reinforce the long-standing bond of equality and oneness in India.

28-Apr-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs organises 2 days’ workshop in Jharkhand on ADIGRAMS

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) as part its ‘Outreach Initiative’ is connecting with key stakeholders associated with execution of government schemes at ground level.

In continuation with this, MoTA organised two-day’s hands-on training of key functionaries from across the Jharkhand state on ADIGRAMS (Adivasi Grants Management System) on 27th and 28th April 2022. The program was held at Jharkhand State Ministry’ ‘Project Bhawan’ Ranchi. 66 key officials like District Welfare Officers, Officials from ITDAs along with Project Management Unit (PMU) from all 24 districts across the state, associated with tribal scheme implementation actively participated in the training program. They were given hands on training in uploading the data.

Dr Naval Jit Kapoor, Joint Secretary Ministry of Tribal Affairs informed that ADIGRAM is a unique portal which monitors physical and financial progress of the grants given by the Ministry to States and can track the actual utilization of funds. The details of beneficiaries are also uploaded on portal and the infrastructure projects are geotagged. Once the data from 2017-18 to 2021-22 is uploaded, the information will be placed in public domain which will bring transparency and accountability. Similar programs have been conducted by the Ministry in Maharashtra, Himachal, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, where in training is as conducted by team of technical experts from MoTA and UNDP.

The program was organised in coordination with Sh. K.K. Son, Pr Secretary Department of ST SC Minorities and BC Welfare, Jharkhand and Ajay Nath Jha, Commissioner along with senior officials from state level implementing bodies were also part of it. Sh Jayant Kumar from UNDP and team of Dhanush Infotech who have developed this portal are conducting regular training programs online and offline as per requirement of the states.

30-Mar-2022: An amount of Rs 1.4 lakh cr. was allocated for welfare of Scheduled Tribes (STs) by Central Ministries/Departments in the Union Budget from 2018-19 to 2020-21

Total funds allocated for welfare of Scheduled Tribes (STs) by Central Ministries/Departments in the Union Budget during last three years are as follows: 2018-2019 it was 37802.94 (Rs. in crore), 2019-2020 it was 51283.53 (Rs. in crore) and 2020-2021 it was 52024.23 (Rs. in crore).

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing various schemes/programmes for socio-economic development and welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the country.

Besides Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 40 Central Ministries / Departments have been obligated by NITI Aayog for earmarking in the range of 4.3 to 17.5 percent of their total Scheme allocation every year as Tribal Sub Plan (TSP)/Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) funds for tribal development. TSP funds are spent by different Central Ministries / Departments under their schemes for various development projects relating to education, health, agriculture, irrigation, roads, housing, drinking water, electrification, employment generation, skill development, etc. for accelerated socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes in the country. Scheme-wise allocations are made in the Union Budget and the funds are provided by the obligated Central Ministries/Departments to various States/UTs based on the proposals received from them. Scheme-wise actuals(expenditure), allocation of funds for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes by obligated Ministries/Departments is reflected in the Union Budget - Expenditure Profile as Statement 10B which is laid on the Table of the House.

28-Mar-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs takes several steps to create awareness among the tribal people about their rights under FRA , 2006

To create awareness among the tribal people about their rights under effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, several measures have been taken.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with National Resource Center, at TRI Campus, Odisha and National Tribal Research Institute, Delhi has prepared various training modules viz. Forest Rights Act Training Manual for Government functionaries and members of Gram Sabha, Training Manual on Delineation and Mapping of Community Rights and Community Forest Resources and Interactive Self Learning Training Module for capacity building of the Gram Sabhas. The TRI Odisha and NTRI regularly conduct national and State level programs to augment the capacity of States for effective implementation of FRA and train master trainers. The course material is available to these trainers and trainees on Adiprashikshan Portal (adiprashikshan.tribal.gov.in) the portal.

booklet on FRA and Flyers have been prepared to explain the provisions and processes in common man's language.

To increase awareness and efficiency, State TRIs are given funds for conducting programs for capacity building, training and support for post recognition of rights in last 4 years,

Translation of Act, Rules and clarification into local languages and publication of training modules on FRA for training and guidance;

A joint communication has been signed on 06.07.2021 by Secretary, MoEFCC and Secretary, MoTA requesting Chief Secretaries of States, inter alia, for expeditious implementation of FRA and seeking synergy between the two Ministries of the Central level and at both the Forest and Tribal Welfare Departments of the State Government.

21-Mar-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs revamps the schemes for comprehensive development of Tribals

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing following schemes where the funds are released to the State Government based on the proposals received from the State Government.
Pre Matric and Post Matric Scholarship Scheme.
Grants Under Article 275(1) of the Constitution
SCA to TSS which has been now revamped as Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna
Grants for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).
Support to TRIs.

The Pre and Post Matric schemes are demand based schemes and every ST student whose family income is upto Rs 2.5 lakhs is entitled to scholarship for pursuing education from class IX to Post Doctorate across India. The states send the proposal for the estimated expenditure during the financial year based on the expenditure incurred in previous years and advance upto 50% of Central share is released to the States. After the State has disbursed the scholarship to the students and has submitted UCs, the balance amount is released to State provided the State has contributed its share.

In respect of Grants under Article 275(1), SCA to TSS and PVTG scheme, the state is required to submit proposals duly approved by the State level executive committee (SLEC). The Proposals are examined by the Project Approval Committee under chairmanship of Secretary Tribal Affairs, which are then concurred by Finance division. Each state has been allocated share in these 3 schemes based on criteria of population of that state and geographical area. The funds are released to State after taking into account the unspent funds released in previous years, the status of utilization of funds and physical proposal report submitted on Adivasi Grant Management System (ADIGRAMS). The details of proposals received from these states and the projects approved can be viewed at the website of the Ministry (tribal.nic.in). The details of pending utilization certificates and the progress of the projects can be viewed at the dashboard developed by the Ministry (dashboard.tirbal.gov.in), in the module "State at a glance" , which is updated on the 1st day of every month.

The scheme of Grants to TRIs, the funds are given to TRIs based on the proposals received from them for undertaking various activities like research projects, training, cultural exchange, organization of festivals, craft mela, painting and other competitions etc. The funds are also released to TRIs for upgradation /construction of TRI Building, museum and infrastructure like tribal monuments etc. The details of proposals received from these states and the projects approved can be viewed at the website of the Ministry (tribal.nic.in). The details of projects can be viewed at online portal developed by the Ministry namely tri.tribal.gov.in and adiprashikshan.tribal.gov.in.

State is required to send proposal afresh for each financial year. All proposals received from the States are either approved or rejected in the same financial year based on the availability of funds, the necessity of the project based on the gap analysis and performance of the State in similar projects sanctioned in previous years.

For the Finance Cycle 2021-26, many existing schemes have been merged, revamped and the scope has been widened. The 3 schemes meant for comprehensive development of tribals are as under.

Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna: The scope of existing scheme of SCA to TSS has been broadened wherein comprehensive development of 36,428 villages will be undertaken in convergence with line Ministries to develop these villages as Adarsh Gram, under ‘Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana’. These villages have tribal population of more than 500 and 50% tribals. An amount of Rs. 1354 cr. has been allocated which will be utilized as a gap filling arrangement in addition to the STC component of Rs. 87,524 crores allocated to different Ministries for tribal welfare programmes relating to their respective schemes. For next five years an amount of Rs. 7276 cr. has been approved by the cabinet.
Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission: The Mission seeks to achieve livelihood driven tribal development in the next five years through formation of Van Dhan groups who have been organized into Van Dhan Kendras. The MFP gathered by tribals will be processed in these kendras and marketed through Van Dhan Producer Enterprises. New Haats bazaar and ware houses will be developed in next 5 years as part of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan”. TRIFED would be the nodal agency for implementing the scheme. The products produced will be marketed through Tribe India Stores. An amount of Rs. 1612 cr. has been earmarked under the Mission for next five years.
Venture Capital Fund for STs: An amount of Rs. 50 cr. has been sanctioned for the new scheme of ‘Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes’ (VCF-ST), which is aimed at promoting Entrepreneurship among the STs. The VCF-ST scheme would be a social sector initiative to promote ST entrepreneurship and to support and incubate the start-up ideas by ST youth.

2-Feb-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs to organize Tribal Craft Mela, Webinar and Workshops on tribals and Facilitate of Tribal achievers as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (India@75) is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate the 75 years of independence of India, which was inaugurated on 12th March 2021 by the Prime Minister by flagging off the ‘Padayatra’ (Freedom March) from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. Since 12th March 2021, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been organizing series of events and activities for celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Government of India also declared 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to honor all the tribal freedom fighters on the birth day of Birsa Munda, an iconic freedom fighter and tribal leader of the country. As part of celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Tribal Affairs in co-ordination with States and associated organisations including North Eastern States celebrated ‘Iconic Week’ celebration from 15th November 2021 to 22nd November 2021.

In coming days, various activities/events such as National/State level Tribal Craft Mela/Dance Festival /Painting Competition, Audio Video documentation and animated films, facilitation of tribal achievers in various fields, webinar and workshop on tribal matters and inauguration of newly constructed Tribal Research Institute buildings are planned to be organized in physical/virtual and hybrid mode subject to prevailing covid situation.

2-Feb-2022: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has taken several steps to market the Tribal products

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has taken various initiatives to market the products made by the tribal people which include the following:

The Ministry provides funds to States and TRIFED for organizing tribal festivals wherein the tribal artists and artisans showcase and sell their products. These festivals and exhibitions showcase their traditional skill in painting, art and craft, organic products and also demonstrate glimpses of rich cultural heritage through unique forms of folk dances, songs, cuisine. During 2020-21 and 2021-22, due to covid pandemic, the States and TRIFED were advised to organize such festival after following covid protocol and also to explore digital exhibitions.
MoTA provides funds to TRIFED and State Governments for marketing of tribal products by empaneling tribal suppliers comprising of individual tribal artisans, tribal SHGs, Organisations/ Agencies/NGOs working with tribals.
TRIFED also organizes Tribal Artisan Mela (TAM) at District/Tehsil level as an exercise to reach tribals located in interior tribal areas and source tribal art and craft directly from them. Through this initiative, Tribal Artisans are invited to an exhibition area where they display their art and craft items.
TRIFED is also engaged in direct sale of tribal products including art & craft items through its network of Tribes India Showrooms, exhibitions, Aadi Mahotsav, online e-commerce portal etc.

National tribal festival/carnival organized by TRIFED since 2015

Year	Theme	Period	Venue
2015	National Tribal Festival-Vanaj	13th – 18th February, 2015	Indira Gandhi Art and Cultural Centre, New Delhi
2016	National Tribal Carnival – 2016	25th – 28th October, 2016	Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
2017	National Tribal Festival (Aadi Mahotsav)	16th – 30th November, 2017	Dilli Haat, INA, Central Park, etc., New Delhi
2018	National Tribal Festival (Aadi Mahotsav)	16th – 30th November, 2018	Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi
2019	National Tribal Festival (Aadi Mahotsav)	16th – 30th November, 2019	Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi
2021	Tribes India ‘Aadi Mahotsav’	1st – 15th February, 2021	Dilli Haat, INA, New
2021	Tribes India ‘Aadi Mahotsav’	16th - 30th November, 2021	Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi