Government of Gujarat launched the Chief Minister’s Ten Point Programme for the Development of Tribal Areas in 2007. This programme seeks to enable the Schedule Tribe regions to merge with mainstream development by bridging the gaps between ITDP blocks and other parts of Gujarat. It is aimed at doubling of the income of the tribal area and creating conditions for its sustainability and bridging the gaps in human development indicators between Scheduled Area and rest of the State. The ten focus areas of intervention under VKY during the XI Five Year Plan period were as follows :
- Quality and sustainable employment for 5 lakh tribal families,
- Emphasis on quality education and higher education
- Accelerated economic development of tribal areas
- Health for all
- Housing for all
- Safe drinking water to all
- Irrigation
- All weather roads
- Universal availability of electricity
- Urban development
This major policy shift for the development of ST population was announced by the Hon. Chief Minister on the floor of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly in February 2007. Hon. CM has also assured an unprecedented budgetary provision of Rs.15,000 crore in 11th five year plan. VKY is based on the broader concept of equity, addressing the specific needs of geographically marginalized ST, Primitive Tribe Groups and women. The state Govt. made the financial provision of Rs.40,000 crore for 12th five year plan (2012-17).
The ten points were further elaborated for the implementing Departments and they were expected to follow the agreed blue print during the XI Five Year Plan period (years 2007-12). Some of the key features of the new approach to tribal development under VKY were that the Government has steered away from its previous approach to implementation of schemes where primarily only expenditure and coverage of number of beneficiaries were monitored. In contrast, interventions now aim at achieving defined outcomes with major emphasis on improving the quality of inputs in tribal areas and promoting the rights-based approach.
- Vision |Double the income of all tribal families, with a special focus on the migrant families and the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
Activities
- Creation of more employment through productivity enhancement in agriculture sector
- Increas in animal husbandry and dairy based activities
- Quality skill training for tribal youth
- Vision | Access to quality education for every eligible tribal child and increased emphasis on higher education.
Activities
- Higher Secondary Schools for science in each taluka.
- Provision for enrolling 1000 students in nationally recognized residential schools and creating a talent pool for Scheduled Tribes.
- Navodaya or Eklavya type residential schools in each tribal taluka and making them comparable with quality urban schools
- Establishment of 1000 additional hostels for college students Establishment of Arts, Science and Commerce colleges to cover remote and left out talukas.
- Establishment of excellent academic units including engineering and medical colleges, polytechnics, nursing colleges and ITIs.
- Vision | Double the income of all tribal families including migrant tribal families and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and facilitate economic growth in villages by providing basic facilities such as roads and energy network.
Activities
- Annual allocation of Rs. 1 crore per taluka for development of identified economic activities through cluster based based approach and market linkage
- Linking remote Scheduled Tribe areas to nearby economic centres through development of basic infrastructure and facilities such as roads, water supply, irrigation and continuous power supply in all tribal areas
- Value addition to local natural resources for higher returns to Scheduled Tribe families
- Vision |Support the socio-economic development of all tribal families by providing access to necessary amenities for a healthy living.
Activities
- Benefits of Chiranjivi Yojana to all ST families
- Annual Health check-up programme for all ST families
- Financial assistance to BPL families in case of heart surgery
- Special drive for tackling endemic diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, leptospirosis, etc.
- Removal of malnutrition in pregnant and lactating mothers as well as children under the age of 6 through effective implementation of the schemes.
- Vision |Provide a house to each tribal family, including those from Particularly Venerable Tribal Groups, to improve their physical quality of life.
Activities
- Housing for all ST families within the next five years.
- Vision |provide access to safe drinking water to all tribal families for creating drinking water security and tackling poverty.
Activities
- All ST families to get safe, assured and adequate drinking water within next 5 years.
- At least 25% of the ST population to get access to piped water supply.
- Vision | Assured income from agriculture to all tribal farmers by creating opportunities for irrigated farming and modern farming techniques.
Activities
- Emphasis on group irrigation schemes.
- Creation of water conservation strucutures on watershed basis.
- Creation of more check dams in tribal areas.
- Subsidy to BPL families for individual facilities such as oil engines etc.
- Financial and technical assistance for promoting drip irrigation.
- Survey of about 5 high rain fall talukas for Right to Irrigation Campaign
- Undertaking drinking water cum irrigation projects in the upstream of major and minor dams.
- Identification of new medium and minor irrigation projects
- Emphasis on scientific water use and water management
- Vision |Ensure universal electrification for all Scheduled Tribe households and villages for improved quality of life and economic development.
Activities
- Electrification to all hitherto uncovered hamlets
- Alternate arrangements through solar energy for remote and dispersed hamlets
- Free electrification to all BPL families
- Vision |Promote wealth creation in tribal areas and improve the quality of life of all tribal families.
Activities
- Improvements in the quality of roads in tribal areas
- All hamlets with population of less than 250 to be connected by roads.
- Special drive for repairing existing roads in tribal areas.
- Vision |Develop tribal towns as growth engines to augment the income of tribal families.
Activities
- Development of 13 tribal towns to act as growth engines
- Increas in animal husbandry and dairy based activities