Govt is committed for upliftment of last man standing: Virendra Kumar

New Delhi, Feb 16 Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr Virendra Kumar on Wednesday said that the government is committed for the upliftment of the last man standing and is determined to bring him into the mainstream of overall development.

Kumar was speaking after launching the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes. He mentioned that the DNTs, NTs, SNTs are one of the most deprived and economically weaker communities in India and there are historical reasons for this.

"The misery of these communities began with the enactment of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during British rule. Even after the Independence, they have not benefited much from the planned development of over seven decades. They were deprived of state support like the SCs/STs. Various efforts have been undertaken to bring these communities into the mainstream," he said.

"This scheme is the first small step towards the progress and development but not the last for these communities who have been subjected to neglect and apathy for many years," Kumar added.

Minister for state for social justice and empowerment A. Narayanswamy said that the De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes are the most neglected, marginalized and economically and socially deprived communities.

"That is why, it is extremely important to bring changes in the collective thinking about these communities. This Government, under the guidance of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the initiatives for proper rehabilitation of these communities and for identification of areas of intervention for their progress. Accordingly, a Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities has been constituted," Narayanswamy said.

The Government also decided to create an umbrella scheme for empowerment of these communities and accordingly, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs, SNTs &NTs (SEED) has been formulated with four components that affect their livelihood.

The four components of the SEED scheme are educational empowerment by providing free coaching to students from these communities for civil services and other professional exams, health insurance through PMJAY of National Health Authority, livelihoods to support income generation, and housing. The scheme will ensure expenditure of Rs 200 crore to be spent over five years beginning 2021-22.