Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 17 August 2013 set up High Level
Committee to assess the status of Scheduled Tribes (STs) to ensure their
upliftment, particularly in socio-economic, health and education
fields.
Prof. Virginius Xaxa was appointed as the chairman of the
seven-member committee. The committee will submit its report within
nine months from 17 August 2013.
The committee will work upon the following issues
1.The Committee will prepare a report on the overall socio-economic,
health and educational status of the tribal communities of the country.
The report will give an idea about the areas requiring Government
intervention to support the tribal communities.
2.The committee will also suggest policy initiatives as well as
effective outcome-oriented measures to improve development indicators
and strengthen public service delivery to STs and other tribal
populations.
3.The Committee will also look into the geographical pattern of their
economic activity and explore what newer avenues of employment and
livelihood are available to them.
4.The committee will assess whether the safeguards guaranteed under
the Constitution are being effectively implemented and if there are
adequate safeguards and structures for implementation of protective
legislations such as Prevention of Atrocities Act and Forest Rights Act.
The High Level Committee
1. Prof. Virginius Xaxa - Chairman
2. Dr. Usha Ramanathan - Member
3. Dr. Joseph Bara - Member
4. Dr. K.K. Misra – Member
5. Dr. Abhay Bang - Member
6. Ms. Sunila Basant - Member
7. Secretary, Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs - Member Secretary
The committee head Prof. Virginius Xaxa is a sociologist, and a
member of the National Advisory Council (NAC). NAC headed by Congress
president Sonia Gandhi.
The Prime Minister’s decision of setting
up a committee came after the government found that the STs, who form
7.5 percent of the country’s population, are not getting enough dues
despite the special status in the constitution.
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