While the Prime Minister has stressed on ensuring welfare of the tribals, concrete steps are yet to be taken on a set of recommendations for their socio-economic development submitted over a year back by a high-level committee.
Headed by Prof. Virginius Xaxa, the high-level committee had in May last year submitted its recommendations, in which it had called for several changes in the laws to prevent further land alienation of the tribals and allow them greater control over their resources.
Sources in the Tribal Affairs Ministry said that, currently, a process of inter-ministerial consultations is on vis-a-vis the report of the committee.
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"No concrete steps have been taken on the report of the High-Level Committee on Socio-economic, Health and Educational Status of Tribal Communities of India.
"Inter-ministerial consultations are on over the recommendations," they said.
The committee members have stressed on the need for the restructuring of the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC), which is an integral part of the administrative structure of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution, which contains provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
"Currently, TAC consists of 20 members of which two-thirds comprise elected members in the state legislature belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. The rest are nominated members who generally tend to be government officials working in the ministry and department.
"There needs to be a radical restructuring of the composition of the TAC. Instead of two-thirds elected members from the state legislature this should be restricted to half the members of the TAC," the report said.
Moreover, these elected representatives must come from different political parties rather than only from the ruling party, it added.
The scope and responsibilities of TAC should be widened to transform it into the Tribes Advisory, Protective and Developmental Council with constitutional provisions, law, policies, and administrative matters pertaining to Scheduled Tribes coming under its ambit, it said.
