New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has raised concerns over slow implementation of the Rs 24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), launched in November 2023 to provide essential services to marginalised tribal groups.
In its report on Demand for Grants for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, headed by BJP MP P.C. Mohan, said that “29,000 villages were proposed to be saturated by 2025-26 but only 4,288 villages have been saturated as per the norms”.
The report was tabled in Parliament Wednesday.
Under PM-JANMAN—a mega tribal outreach initiative by the Narendra Modi government—the Centre has planned interventions for the holistic development of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in 18 states and Union Territories over three years.
From providing drinking water supply to 4G network connectivity, the Centre is carrying out developmental projects through a convergence of central schemes by nine ministries, such as rural development, telecommunication, health, and education, among others.
Of the Rs 24,000 crore, the Centre will spend Rs 15,000 crore and the state governments will provide the rest over the three-year period.
In its report, the committee also expressed concern over funds lying unutilised under the scheme with just around a year left before its end. While Rs 240 crore were allocated by the tribal affairs ministry, the nodal ministry for the implementation of the scheme, for the mission in the 2024-25 budget, the amount was revised to Rs 150 crore.
The committee said the ministry had spent only Rs 19.25 crore till February 2025.
Eight ministries, including education, rural development, spent Rs 1,367.30 crore in 2023-24 on the mission, the report added. It did not mention the total expenditure figure.
Referring to expenditure incurred and progress in PVTG villages, the committee said, “The progress of work is slow and requires to be expedited to complete the given task within the stipulated period…The committee would also like the ministry to develop a monitoring mechanism to keep a check on the progress of work so that the work is completed as envisaged.”
According to the government, the scheme is crucial for the socio-economic development of the PVTGs, who live in remote areas of the country. The BJP-led Union government has been focusing on the welfare of the communities as part of the tribal outreach.
In its first two terms, the Modi government launched several initiatives to improve the socio-economic condition of tribal communities, including the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission and increasing the number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools to 740.
Last year, in July, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan to improve socio-economic conditions of tribal communities in 63,000 tribal-majority villages, expected to benefit five crore people.
Tribal freedom fighters’ museums delayed
In 2016, Modi had announced the government’s plan to set up tribal freedom fighters’ museums to acknowledge the their contribution in the freedom movement.
The tribal affairs ministry sanctioned 11 museums in 10 states including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana among others. But the progress of work has been slow with just three museums inaugurated till date, according to the committee.
Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Freedom Fighter Museum at Ranchi, Jharkhand, was inaugurated in 2021, while two museums in Madhya Pradesh—the Badal Bhoi State Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum, Chhindwara, and the Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah Freedom Fighter Museum in Jabalpur—were inaugurated last year.
“The committee would like to underline the slow progress in construction of remaining eight museums, as they were sanctioned far back in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, such as, Tribal Freedom Fighter Museums in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Gujarat and Mizoram which are yet to be completed,” report said.
The committee flagged that museums in Kerala, Manipur and Goa, which were sanctioned between 2017-18 and 2020-21, were still in the planning (Detailed Project Report) stage. It recommended that the ministry ensure timely completion of the museums.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)