New Delhi
The trend of increased budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) every financial year continued unhindered in 2025-26 also.
The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has increased the allocation for MoTA by over 45 per cent compared to the last fiscal. Funds to bridge infrastructure gaps in tribal-dominated areas across the country have been prioritised.
For 2025-26, the Ministry has been allocated Rs 14,925.81 crore, up from Rs 10,237.33 crore (revised estimate) in 2024-25. Simply put, there has been an increase of Rs 4,688 crore in the MoTA’s budget for 2025-26. In other words, there is an increase of 45.79 percent in budgetary allocations.
Of the total amount, the Eklavya Model Residential Schools, which provide quality education to tribal students, will receive the lion’s share of Rs 7,088.60 crore, up from Rs 4,748 crore last year.
The budget for the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission, which ensures year-round income-generating opportunities for tribals, has been increased from Rs 152 crore to Rs 380 crore.
The government has allocated Rs 335.97 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY), compared to Rs 127.51 crore last year.
Under PMAAGY, funds are provided to states and union territories with Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations to improve education, healthcare, agriculture, skill development and employment opportunities.
The budget for the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) has been doubled from Rs 150 crore to Rs 300 crore. This scheme focuses on improving the socio-economic conditions of particularly vulnerable tribal groups by ensuring access to safe housing, clean drinking water, sanitation, education, healthcare, nutrition, roads and telecom connectivity.
The allocation for Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) has been quadrupled, increasing from Rs 500 crore to Rs 2,000 crore. This programme aims to fill infrastructure gaps in 63,843 villages, improve access to healthcare, education and Anganwadi facilities, and create livelihood opportunities.
It is expected to benefit over 5 crore tribals across 549 districts and 2,911 blocks in 30 states and union territories within five years.
From Rs. 4,497.96 crores in 2014-15, when Narendra Modi first became the Prime Minister, to Rs. 14,925.81 crores in 2025-26, in his third term — the budget allocation for the Ministry has witnessed a whopping three-fold increase.
Highlighting that today marked an important milestone in the journey of India’s development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that this budget reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians and fulfills the dreams of every citizen.
He also highlighted that several sectors were opened up for the youth, and the common citizen will drive the mission of Viksit Bharat (Developed India). The Prime Minister emphasized that this budget is a force multiplier which would increase the savings, investment, consumption, and growth. He congratulated the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman and her team for this ‘People’s Budget’.
THIS APART
A new scheme for 5 lakh women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes first-time entrepreneurs to provide term-loans upto ₹ 2 crore in the next 5 years was also announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,
