UPSC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : A door to a housing scheme, tribals find hard to open
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: The Hindu
• Prelims: Parliament-Structure, organization and functioning, PMAY, PM-JANMAN, PVTGs, DBT, MGNREGA etc
• Mains GS Paper II: Parliament- structure, functioning and conduct of Business etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• According to official data, PVTGs comprise around 6 lakh households. India is home to Adivasi groups, with 75 identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across States.
• India is home to Adivasi groups, with 75 identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across States.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)
• PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups.
• In 1975, the Government of India declared 52 tribal groups as PVTGs on the recommendation of the Dhebar Commission. Currently, there are 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes.
• Currently, there are 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes.
• The PVTGs are spread over 18 states and one Union Territory (UT), in the country (2011 census). Odisha has the highest number (more than 2.5 lakh) of PVTGs.
• Odisha has the highest number (more than 2.5 lakh) of PVTGs.
• Characteristics of PVTGs: Population – stagnant/declining Technology – pre-agricultural Literacy Level – extremely low Economy – Subsistence level
• Population – stagnant/declining
• Technology – pre-agricultural
• Literacy Level – extremely low
• Economy – Subsistence level
PM JANMAN:
• It seeks to provide essential services to PVTGs, which includes safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation through 11 critical interventions.
• It aims to reach 90 lakh PVTG households by 2026.
• Objective: Ensure that every PVTG household has access to secure and habitable housing, safeguarding them from environmental challenges and providing them with a sense of security.
• Households under the scheme are entitled to receive ₹2.39 lakh each in three installments.
Awaas+ mobile app:
• It is used by block/panchayat-level officials to register PVTG households for the PM JANMAN Housing scheme.
• The app gathers beneficiaries data in three primary areas: It records the geographical location of households, noting their block, panchayat, and village It captures household profiles, incorporating geo-tagging for planned construction locations It collects bank account details for cash transfers.
• It records the geographical location of households, noting their block, panchayat, and village
• It captures household profiles, incorporating geo-tagging for planned construction locations
• It collects bank account details for cash transfers.
#### Issues and Data mismatch:
#### ● Widespread wrongful deletions of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers and the suspension of Pradhan Mantri KIsan SAmman Nidhi (PM KISAN) entitlements: Due to mismatches between the details entered during registration and Aadhaar records.
#### ● Case of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha: The findings show that PM JANMAN Housing encounters inclusivity and accessibility challenges for PVTGs and frontline officials.
#### ● Having a job card is mandatory for PM JANMAN Housing registration.
#### ○ However, the widespread deletion of over 8 crore MGNREGA workers in the past two years — some are from PVTGs
#### ○ It has led to their ineligibility to register for the scheme.
#### ● Numerous beneficiaries have reported cases of someone else registering with their job cards, further exacerbating the issue.
#### ● Discrepancies in the number of villages populated in the app and MGNREGA job cards, leading to confusion among beneficiaries and officials.
#### ○ Example: The app’s dropdown has 22 villages while the MGNREGA Management Information System (MIS) has 31 villages for ‘Vanjari’ Panchayat in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district in Andhra Pradesh.
#### ● The app requires the names of the family members as in Aadhaar but does not provide guidance on what name should be provided in the absence of Aadhaar.
#### ● The app does not capture any explicit information about PVTGs, including in the social category field which has a default ‘ST’ [Scheduled Tribe] option.
#### ○ This results in non-PVTGs registrations as well.
#### ○ These ineligible registrations have prompted local officials asking PVTGs to submit certification from sarpanches/mukhiyas in some areas.
#### ● In villages where PVTGs and non-PVTGs coexist, instances of non-PVTG sarpanches/mukhiyas acting against the interests of PVTGs in providing certification.
#### ● Geo-tagging option is causing chaos due to network issues.
#### ● The app prompts the enumerator to choose from three options — Cooperative Bank; Commercial Bank, or Regional Rural Bank.
#### ○ Upon selection, a dropdown list of banks corresponding to the chosen category appears.
#### ○ For example, selecting ‘Commercial Bank’ presents over 300 options.
#### ○ Upon choosing a specific option, such as ‘State Bank of India’, for registration in Andhra Pradesh, the dropdown shows over 500 options for its branches.
#### ○ This cumbersome process introduces unnecessary complexity for both PVTGs and officials.
Way Forward
• Despite the Government of India’s initiative to establish an India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to improve banking services, especially in areas with limited banking infrastructure The app does not include the IPPB in the list of banks. The Union Government has emphasized the role of IPPB in facilitating financial inclusion.
• The app does not include the IPPB in the list of banks.
• The Union Government has emphasized the role of IPPB in facilitating financial inclusion.
• Streamlining the registration process, updating the mobile app, and incorporating the IPPB as an option are essential steps to facilitate a greater participation of PVTGs in the scheme.
• Proactive measures to reinstate deleted job cards and also community engagement initiatives such as involving gram sabhas, can improve the effectiveness of the scheme.
• The narrative of PVTGs in independent India persistently echoes the words of Adivasi rights activist D. Sharma, who described the plight of Adivasis as an “unbroken history of broken promises”.
• The PM JANMAN presents another opportunity to transform the lives of PVTGs, albeit a small step, in enabling them to access the benefits from India’s growth story.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
To what extent, in your opinion, has the decentralization of power in India changed the governance landscape at the grassroots?(UPSC 2022) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
Editorial Analysis – 27 May 2024