Uttarakhand: Chamoli's Mana village selected for Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], September 24 : Mana village, located in the Joshimath block of Chamoli district, has been selected under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan, an initiative by the Central Government aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities.
Chamoli's District Magistrate, via a post on X, stated on Monday, "Mana village in Joshimath block of Chamoli district has been selected by the Central Government under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan." Chamoli is home to the Bhotiya tribes, most of whom have resided in the Mana and Niti valleys of Upper Chamoli for centuries, according to the Chamoli district administration's official site.
The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved this programme on September 18, with a total budget of Rs 79,156 crore. The Central Government will contribute Rs 56,333 crore, while the states will provide Rs 22,823 crore.
The goal of this programme is to provide better infrastructure, health services, education, and livelihood opportunities for tribal communities across the country. It aims to cover approximately 63,000 villages and benefit over 5 crore tribal people, as announced in the Union Budget 2024-25. The programme will be implemented across 549 districts and 2,740 blocks in 30 states and union territories, focusing on tribal-majority villages and aspirational districts.
India's cumulative tribal population is over 10.45 crore people belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), according to the 2011 census. There are more than 705 tribal communities, many of whom live in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan aims to bridge the gaps in key areas such as social infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities for these communities. It will involve multiple government schemes to ensure that these services are effectively delivered to tribal people.
The programme will be implemented by 17 ministries, with each responsible for delivering its specific schemes. These schemes will be funded under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) over the next five years. The main objectives are to improve infrastructure, promote economic empowerment, and ensure access to quality education, healthcare, and dignified ageing.
To track the progress of the programme, tribal villages will be mapped on the PM Gati Shakti Portal. Any gaps in development will be identified, and schemes will be tailored to meet the specific needs of each village. The physical and financial progress will also be monitored through this platform, and the best-performing districts will be rewarded.
The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan will introduce innovative schemes to help tribal communities, such as tribal homestays, sustainable livelihood programmes for forest rights holders, improved infrastructure in residential schools and hostels, better facilities for diagnosing sickle cell disease, and tribal marketing centres. These efforts build on the success of the earlier Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PMJANMAN), which was launched in November 2023.