They also say that tribal communities account for 20% of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers, who will bear the brunt of the 25% cut in MGNREGA allocation for the financial year 2023. Our 20% share among MNREGA workers is more than double our share in the total population.
An allocation of ₹89,265.12 crore in the Union Budget, which accounts for only 2.26% of the total expenditure, is far below the 8.6% allocation needed according to the estimates of the 2011 census, so that allocations were proportionate to the population of scheduled tribes.
"The special tribal component (STC) under the Modi government is cheating the tribals by diverting the money meant directly for tribal development into other expenditures. Forty one departments/Ministries are mandated to be part of the STC. But, for example, an amount of Rs 4,500 crores spent on building highways is shown as part of expenditure for tribals, while 50% of tribal villages have no public transport. The STC is replete with such blatant diversions. This is nothing but cheating the tribal communities.