Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Ranjana Chopra on Thursday undertook a field visit and progress review across Indore division in Madhya Pradesh to assess the implementation of tribal welfare schemes and interact with beneficiaries.
Chopra, accompanied by Additional Secretary Manish Thakur, was joined by Madhya Pradesh Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare, Gulshan Bamra, and senior officials of the State Tribal Welfare Department.
The visit covered initiatives related to tribal education, livelihoods, welfare facilitation, rural tourism and healthcare.
The team began its visit at the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Morod, in Indore, which caters to students from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Chopra interacted with students and teachers from Classes 6 to 12 and reviewed the use of digital smart classrooms for teaching. Students shared their aspirations of becoming engineers, entrepreneurs and professionals in various fields.
The residential education initiative for Scheduled Tribe children is being implemented under the PM-JANMAN and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA) framework.
The Secretary next visited the Bunkar Suvidha Kendra at Maheshwar in Khargone district, where Scheduled Tribe women are engaged in weaving traditional Maheshwari sarees.
The centre is run by a Sahayata Samuh registered under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). The weavers produce around 1,000 to 2,000 sarees daily, which are marketed through forward linkages facilitated by TRIFED, Self Help Groups and Zilla Panchayats.
Chopra interacted with the women weavers and was informed that one of the weavers from the centre had recently participated in a fashion showcase in Delhi. She also interacted with ST students, including a NEET-qualified aspirant, and Forest Rights Act (FRA) patta holders at the centre.
At the Adi Sewa Kendra in Keriyakheri, Khargone, Chopra reviewed the functioning of the single-window facilitation centre for tribal communities.
The centre assists community members with requirements ranging from ration cards to enrolment in various government schemes. It had also recently hosted a nationwide Jan Sunwai to facilitate grievance redressal at the local level.
The Secretary interacted with ST women at the centre, who shared their experiences of accessing services closer to their neighbourhoods.
The team also visited a Tribal Homestay in Khargone district run by a local tribal household. The homestay was presented as an example of community-led rural tourism and provides accommodation and kitchen facilities to visitors.
Chopra interacted with the owner and reviewed how tribal households are using tourism to build sustainable livelihoods. Homestay owners receive training, handholding support and regular monitoring through a state-hired agency to maintain quality and consistency.
In Indore, Chopra also visited the Centre of Competence for Sickle Cell Disease, established as part of the Ministry’s efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease among tribal communities.
She reviewed screening, counselling and treatment support facilities available at the centre.
The field visit concluded with a progress review meeting chaired by Chopra at the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Indore.
Representatives of concerned departments and senior officials of the State Tribal Welfare Department attended the meeting, while District Collectors from other districts of the division joined through video conferencing.
During the review, Chopra directed the Collectors to expedite the saturation of MoTA schemes on the ground and stressed the need for time-bound convergence among departments.
She emphasised that coordinated action should ensure that the intended benefits of government schemes reach every eligible tribal household and habitation.
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