The Centre is in the process of setting up a foundation with a corpus fund of Rs. 500 crore to provide a livelihood to tribals in about 900 blocks, spread over 170 districts of nine States, to strengthen its anti-naxalite campaign.
The latest proposal, evolved jointly by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Planning Commission, envisages a concerted effort by the Centre, the State governments concerned, and civil society to transform the lives of the tribals, in what has been described as the Central Indian Adivasi Belt.
To forge this powerful partnership, the Centre intends to set up the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF) to support grass-roots level action towards empowerment of the tribals.
While the Centre will provide the initial fund spread over three years, State governments and other social organisations will be expected to contribute to the cause. The foundation will, however, be expected to be self-sustaining in the long-run.
Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has written to the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and West Bengal seeking their opinion before holding a meeting of all State government to take forward the idea.
The objective is to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the tribals, enhance their access to and control over resources, enhance their mobility and access to information, and create new opportunities for the youth, besides improving the performance of government programmes.
The foundation will be expected to support each endeavour for at least five to seven years and probe for scope in areas of watershed management, forest management, irrigation management, dairy, fisheries, agriculture, forestry, skill-development, among others.
It will also focus on local institution building, strengthening adivasi leadership, especially women in panchayati raj, self-help groups, community-based organisations and social mobilisation and awareness generation around entitlements and development programmes.
