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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2026/Paper II/Tribal Development, Policy & Safeguards
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2026 15 Marks Model Answer Available

Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan and the SDGs — 2026 Paper II

Question · 2026 · Paper II · 15 Marks

'Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan aims to meet some of the Sustainable Development Goals'. Discuss.

Model Answer

VAID ICS
Approach

• Demand of Question: Explain the design of DAJGUA and analytically relate its multi-sector interventions to relevant SDGs, while evaluating whether convergence and saturation can produce culturally appropriate tribal development.

• Structuring the Response: Give verified scheme facts first; map intervention clusters to SDGs as an indicative analytical linkage; then assess convergence, Gram Sabha participation, cultural fit, ecology and outcome monitoring through an anthropological lens.

• Key Dimensions to Cover: Launch 2 Oct 2024; 63,843 villages; 549 districts; 2,911 blocks; 30 States/UTs; 25 interventions; 17 line ministries; Rs 79,156 crore; saturation/convergence; SDGs 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,17; PESA/FRA and agency.

Model Answer

Introduction: The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), now also referred to as PM-JUGA, was launched on 2 October 2024. Official 2026 data place its coverage at 63,843 tribal-majority villages in 549 districts and 2,911 blocks across 30 States/UTs, with more than five crore intended beneficiaries. It combines 25 interventions of 17 line ministries with an outlay of Rs 79,156 crore, using “saturation through convergence” as its core design.

Intervention cluster Indicative SDG linkage Anthropological relevance
Livelihoods, Van Dhan, skills SDG 1, 8 Income with local resource/value chains
Nutrition, health, MMUs, Anganwadis SDG 2, 3 Access plus culturally intelligible care
Schools/hostels SDG 4 Mother-tongue and context-sensitive education
Water, sanitation, electricity SDG 6, 7 Basic capability and health security
Roads, housing, connectivity SDG 9, 11 Access, but also exposure to land/market pressures
Gap reduction, convergence SDG 10, 17 Equity and inter-ministerial coordination

 

Anthropological appraisal

  • Strength - holistic convergence: Tribal deprivation is interlinked: poor roads affect health access, school continuity and market participation. Convergence therefore fits anthropology's holistic understanding better than fragmented schemes.
  • Participation test: Saturation is not the same as participation. In Fifth Schedule areas, Gram Sabhas under PESA and rights under FRA should shape priorities, siting, resource use and monitoring.
  • Cultural fit: A hostel, school or medical unit yields durable outcomes only when language, food systems, gender norms, local healers and mobility patterns are understood.
  • Ecological safeguard: New connectivity can also accelerate outsider entry, extraction and land alienation; social and ecological impact must therefore accompany infrastructure targets.
  • Measure outcomes, not assets: Evaluation should track nutrition, learning, livelihood resilience, forest/community control and dignity - not merely numbers of houses, roads or cards issued.

Conclusion: DAJGUA has the scale and convergence architecture to advance multiple SDGs, but its real test is whether a whole-of-government programme becomes a whole-of-community process. High-quality tribal development requires saturation plus rights, agency and cultural sustainability.

2026 Write an account on Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST). 2026 What are the provisions given in the Constitution of India for the safeguard of the Scheduled Caste populations? 2026 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the islands. 2026 Write an account on the contribution of Verrier Elwin in developing policies for the tribal populations in post-independent India.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2026 — Paper II

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