As the tribal heartland seethes with anger over displacement and Naxalism, the PM has formed an apex advisory body of Centre and states to guide policies affecting the ethnic population.
The Centre has formed a ' National Council for Tribal Welfare' to provide policy guidelines across the board. It will comprise key central ministries with a bearing on tribal lives and chief ministers of schedule V and VI states. It will be chaired by the PM.
The council, resulting from a proposal by Union minister for tribal affairs Kantilal Bhuria, will give the Centre a hands-on role on policy issues, while interacting with states in a partnership.
The sharing of the council platform on policy issues may help in taking out the adversarial roles that Centre and states have been locked in over sensitive issues, as seen in the Vedanta case in Orissa.
The council will review implementation of Forest Rights Act, of Schedule V and VI of the Constitution, of tribal sub-plan and the programmes aimed at protecting vulnerable tribal groups, while giving general policy guidelines.
Besides, the council will also have a standing committee headed by minister for tribal affairs for periodic review of important subjects.
Among Union ministries on the council are mines, coal and power which are directly linked to displacement, while the welfare aspect is governed by finance, agriculture, home, health, environment, HRD, rural development, women and child development.
The unrest on the tribal turf nationally seems to have added to the urgency to recalibrate the development debate.
The settling of Vedanta debate on the side of tribals has conveyed that the Centre may be in a mood to review the present approach.