AGARTALA, July 11 (TIWN): The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch today expressed dismay at the direction in which the economic policies of the Narendra Modi Government as reflected in the Rail Budget, the Economic Survey and the Union Budget.

The AARM demanded at least full tribal sub plan allocation of Rs 47,150 crore. The forum sought that all Ministries and departments and all central welfare schemes should be included for allocations to the TSP.

AARM demanded launch of a food-for-work scheme for drought relief by fully implementing the Food Security Act with the rural employment guarantee Scheme without any restrictions on number of days or workers per household, at least till the next Kharif.

“We demand that all the processes for democratic consultation, assessment and consent for diversion of forest land and land acquisition be followed in letter and spirit as mandated by the constitution and the law”, AARFM chairperson Bajuban Riyan and treasurer Jitendra Chaudhury said in an official communiqué.

In a sharp reaction to the first one month’s experience of the NDA government, the communiqué said, “While continuing the policies of the UPA government, the NDA government appears to be more vigorous and ruthless in facilitating the private corporate plunder of tribal resources and habitats without the mask of human development and safety nets”.

The AARM voiced apprehension of drought conditions in certain parts of the country this year owing to deficient monsoon, and the well known fact that over three-fourths of tribal farmers sow under rain fed conditions in Kharif, the government should have announced a massive increase in the provision of food and employment through the PDS and MNREGS to preempt and address the drought related distress. “The Economic Survey attacks both the PDS and MNREGS” and budgetary provisions for both have not been raised”, the AARM communiqué stated.

It added that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley violated the Planning Commission guidelines to allocate Plan resources for the Tribal Sub Plan at least in proportion to the ST population which at present is taken as 8.2 per cent in the current Union Budget. “Most long-term expenditure in many of the development sectors were made off-Plan and came from Non-Plan budgets. So the size of the pie from which the proportionate slice for TSP is to come is itself falling and is less than a third of total expenditure”, it said.