The Union Cabinet on Tuesday night approved the Rs 24,104 crore Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on the last Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas from Khunti in Jharkhand recently.

The Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister decided that the Abhiyan will have a Central share of Rs 15,336 crore and a State share of Rs 8,768 crore and focus on 11 critical interventions through nine Central Ministries.

This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur at a news briefing on Wednesday.

He said the Janjati Adivasis live in scattered habitations in remote areas of the country and have been identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The PM Janman campaign will be carried out in 18 States and one Union Territory. It will be benefit 28.16 lakh people.

The Budget Speech, 2023-24 had announced that “to improve socio-economic conditions of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Pradhan Mantri PVTG of Development Mission will be launched.”

“This (Mission) will saturate PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities,” the speech said.

“An amount of Rs 15,000 crore will be made available to implement the Mission in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST),” the speech said.

Besides the initiatives mentioned in the Budget Speech, the campaign will have Ministry of Ayush setting up Ayush Wellness Centres as per existing norms and Ayush facilities through Mobile Medical Units.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will facilitate skill and vocational training in PVTG habitations, and multipurpose centres and hostels as per the suitable skills of these communities will be built.

India has ST population of 10.45 crore as per 2011 census, out of which 75 communities located in 18 States and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). These PVTGs continue to face vulnerability in social, economic and educational fields.