First instalment of benefits under tribal welfare scheme released

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the country can develop only if benefits of various welfare schemes reach all, asserting that it is his guarantee that everyone, even those in the remotest of areas, will benefit from them.

Releasing the first instalment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh beneficiaries of a rural housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) via video conferencing, he said the 10 years of his government have been dedicated to the poor.

The budget of many welfare schemes for the Scheduled Tribes has risen by five times and the scholarship for tribal students has grown by two-and-a-half times in the last 10 years, he said, adding that the work is on to construct more than 500 Eklavya model school for them while only 90 existed earlier.

PM-JANMAN was launched for the socio-economic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on November 15 on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.