Why in the News?

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has rolled out a large-scale outreach campaign for the implementation of its welfare schemes in over 500 districts of the country, aiming to cover 1 lakh tribal dominated villages and habitations.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• PM JANMAN (Objective, Components, etc.)
• Dharti Aaba (Objective, Components, etc.)
• News Summary

Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN)

• Launched in 2023, the PM JANMAN is a focused initiative aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India.
• These groups represent the most marginalised sections within tribal communities and often face barriers to accessing mainstream welfare benefits due to geographic isolation, lack of documentation, and limited institutional outreach.
• Key Components of PM JANMAN include:

• Delivery of basic entitlements like Aadhaar cards and health insurance under Ayushman Bharat.
• Access to banking facilities such as Jan Dhan accounts and pension enrolment.
• Legal empowerment through granting land and forest rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
• Supportive infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms tailored for PVTGs.

• The scheme represents a paradigm shift in tribal policy, from passive provisioning to proactive inclusion, by addressing critical documentation, health, and financial gaps through direct, last-mile service delivery.

Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan

• Launched in 2024 and named after the legendary tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda (revered as Dharti Aaba or “Father of the Earth”), the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan is a comprehensive umbrella scheme.
• It is designed to integrate the efforts of 17 different Union Ministries for the upliftment of tribal communities through convergence-driven development.
• With a total allocation of Rs. 79,156 crore over five years, including Rs. 56,333 crore as the central share and Rs. 22,823 crore from states, the scheme focuses on multi-dimensional development through:

• Construction of tribal hostels and rural homes under PM Awas Yojana.
• Rural electrification and water access improvements.
• Livelihood enhancement through livestock and fisheries support.

• Each participating ministry is assigned a budget and a set of deliverables under the scheme.
• By leveraging convergence, Dharti Aaba Abhiyan seeks to break silos in welfare delivery and ensure holistic development of tribal habitations.

News Summary

• Recently, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs officially launched a large-scale fortnight-long outreach campaign across 500 districts of India.
• The initiative targets over 1 lakh tribal-dominated villages and habitations, focusing on benefit saturation camps to deliver key services at the doorstep of tribal citizens.
• The primary goal is to ensure widespread awareness and uptake of two flagship schemes: PM JANMAN and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan.
• These schemes are central to the Union government’s efforts under the year-long Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh celebrations, which began on November 15, 2024, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda.
• The outreach focuses on:

• Enrolment and delivery of Aadhaar and Ayushman Bharat cards.
• Opening of Jan Dhan and pension accounts.
• Processing land and forest rights claims under the FRA.

• The campaign is designed to push last-mile awareness, especially among remote tribal populations who often remain excluded from formal welfare mechanisms.
• The campaign also seeks to create institutional familiarity with the recently launched Dharti Aaba scheme, whose budgetary provisions came into effect in the 2025 Union Budget.
• The outreach aligns with the government’s broader strategy of saturation-based delivery models, where welfare entitlements are delivered to all eligible individuals within a defined geography, thus minimising exclusions.
• The model has been successfully adopted in previous schemes like PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, and is now being replicated in tribal welfare initiatives.
• By embedding this effort within a symbolic and cultural framework (through Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh), the government also aims to honour tribal legacy and deepen community trust in public institutions.