Overview

Tribal Sub-Plan - (TSP)

Terminology :- The concept of drawing up a T.S.P. accounting for all the flows of funds invested in the I.T.D.P. was started from 1975-76. Subsequently, the terms T.S.P. and I.T.D.P. were used inter-changeably and the I.T.D.Ps. were often referred to as T.S.P. Areas.

Procedure for formulating the T.S.P. :- The procedure followed in the State upto 1992-93 for the formulation of the T.S.P. of the State was briefly that the Planning Department used to allocate plan outlays to different administrative departments. The department in turn, used to carve out outlays for T.S.P. as per their own discretion and priorities. The concerned departments were also deciding which of the schemes, programmes and development works were to be taken up from the funds set aside for the T.S.P. There was, therefore, a feeling that the T.S.P. was merely an amalgam of the State Plan Schemes taken up in the tribal areas and emphasis was given mainly on the arithmetical figures of expenditure rather than on identifying schemes really benefiting tribals. There was no attempt to formulate the schemes in consultation with Tribal area project administration. Consequently, adequate investment was not made in the Tribal areas, particularly on the human resource development side. The level of illiteracy and poverty is still much more among the tribals (as compared to the general) population of the State.

Keeping in views the above problems and shortcomings in the formulation of the T.S.P., the State Government took up this issue with the State Planning Board before the commencement of the Eighth Five-Year Plan. The State Planning Board appointed a Sub-Committee in January 1991, under the Chairmanship of Shri D.M.Sukthankar, a member of the Board and former Chief Secretary of the State, to study the question. The Sub Committee submitted its report in June, 1992. According to the recommendations in this report, which was accepted by the State Government, the Planning Department now communicates a plan ceiling to the Tribal Development Department for the formulation of the T.S.P. The responsibility for finalising the T.S.P., within the ceiling so indicated, rests with the Tribal Development Department and not with the Administrative Departments, as was the previous practice. The outlays for different schemes are now to be finally decided by the Tribal Development Department, keeping in view the actual benefits accruing to the tribal people. The schemes are now being scrutinised very carefully by the Tribal Development Department and notional outlays not directly beneficial to the tribals, i.e., outlays on State Transport, High Tension Transmission lines, etc., are not being permitted to be included in the T.S.P. Since this work was given to the Tribal Development Department, the annual outlays under the T.S.P. have been as follows :- (Rs in crore)