Government has decided to set up a National Tribal Advisory Council for effecting monitoring and implementation of various tribal welfare schemes. This was announced by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Jual Oram while addressing the conference of Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of Tribal Welfare from States/UTs held in New Delhi to discuss and evolve strategies for the overall development of tribal communities.
The council will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will meet once or twice in a year.
The Minister stressed the need for more effective community participation for the success of various tribal welfare schemes. He said “We can not achieve significant results unless we involve members of the society in the implementation process of various schemes. The conference should have special focus on this issue”.
He said though there has been significant improvement in terms of infrastructure in education sector for tribals but the quality of education has not improved in the same way. Shri Oram said the same is true with reference to primary health care for tribals. He said these issues require urgent attention.
Referring to the problems of sixth scheduled states of northeast, Shri Oram said their problems are quite different in nature and we should hold a regional conference for them in Guwahati. The Minister directed his Ministry officials to release 50 per cent of the tribal welfare funds to the states in the first quarter of the next financial year.
He said by third quarter of the financial year 80 per cent of the funds should be released to the states. The Minister urged the state governments to release the funds received from the centre in the same way for various tribal welfare schemes.
The daylong conference had detailed deliberations including power point presentations by the state representatives on various issues concerning the tribal welfare schemes.
Tribes Advisory Council (TAC)
As per Para 4(1) of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, there shall be TAC in each State having Scheduled Areas therein and , if the President should directs, also in any State having Scheduled Tribes but non-Scheduled Areas Therein
Composition of TAC
As per provisions of Fifth Schedule, the members of TAC should be not more than 20 of whom, as nearly as may be, three-fourths shall be the representatives of the STs in the Legislative Assemble in the State.
Role of TAC
To advise on such matters pertaining to the welfare and advancement of the Scheduled Tribes in the State as may be referred to them by the Governor. No regulation shall be made unless the Governor making the regulations has, in the case where there is a TAC for the State, consulted such Council.
Details of TAC constituted by the States.
Tribes Advisory Council has been constituted in the nine Scheduled Area States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana and two non-Scheduled Areas States of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The directions of the Hon’ble President has also been conveyed to the non-Scheduled Area State of Uttarakhand for constitution of TAC in the State.