Bengaluru, Aug 21 — Chitradurga BJP MP and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Govind M. Karajol raised several issues concerning the welfare of tribal communities in Karnataka at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Karajol on Friday drew the attention of officials from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs to the implementation of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), the PM‑JANMAN scheme, pending release of funds, and applications filed under the Forest Rights Act.
He pointed out that 140 VDVKs have been sanctioned in Karnataka, but only 69 are currently operational, while the remaining 71 have not yet commenced operations. He sought clarity from the Ministry on the reasons for the delay and asked when the remaining centres would become operational.
Karajol highlighted that although Rs 20.87 crore had been sanctioned for Karnataka, only Rs 11.86 crore had been released so far, leaving around Rs 9.01 crore pending. He urged the Ministry to release the pending Rs 9.01 crore as soon as possible.
Under the PM‑JANMAN scheme, 33 VDVKs have been sanctioned for Karnataka, of which 21 are currently operational. The remaining 12 centres have not yet commenced operations. Karajol urged the Ministry to identify the reasons for the delay and take necessary steps to make the 12 centres operational at the earliest.
He also sought district‑wise performance reports of the 69 operational VDVKs in Karnataka, including details such as the number of beneficiaries, sanctioned, released and utilised funds, operational status of the centres, products being manufactured, sales details and income generated for tribal communities.
Karajol expressed concern over the large number of applications filed in Karnataka under the Forest Rights Act. According to figures cited at the meeting, the state has received 2,95,176 applications, of which 2,62,626 have been rejected. Only 16,700 applications have been approved and titles issued, while 15,850 applications remain pending.
He questioned the reasons for rejecting so many applications and sought details on why the pending applications had not been disposed of. He also sought information on the steps the Ministry is taking to expedite disposal of the pending applications.
Karajol requested district‑wise data showing the number of applications received, approved, rejected and pending, along with details of the forest rights titles distributed.
Senior officials of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs assured Karajol that they would examine all the issues he raised on priority and take necessary action at the earliest. They said they would take steps to release the pending funds and issue directions to concerned authorities to expedite and complete the pending works.
Welcoming the assurance, Karajol urged the Ministry to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach Karnataka’s tribal communities without delay.