Durga Das Uikey Minister of State · Tribal Affairs
Member of Parliament, Betul (ST) · 18th Lok Sabha Get in touch

Ministry of Tribal Affairs · Government of India

Tribal Affairs

Since June 2024, Durga Das Uikey has served as Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs — the Ministry responsible for the welfare and development of India’s Scheduled Tribes.

Scheduled Tribe population
10.45 crore
Census 2011
PVTGs under PM-JANMAN
75
18 States & 1 UT
Villages under DAJGUA
63,843
30 States / UTs
In office since
June 2024
Minister of State

01 · Context

The Ministry and its mandate

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal Ministry of the Government of India for the development of Scheduled Tribes. It plans and coordinates programmes for tribal communities, and oversees schemes delivered with State Governments and other ministries — in education, health, livelihoods, infrastructure, forest rights, culture and research.

The Constitution of India provides the framework: Article 342 governs the notification of Scheduled Tribes, while the Fifth and Sixth Schedules set out special provisions for the administration of Scheduled Areas and tribal areas. According to the 2011 Census, India’s Scheduled Tribe population is 10.45 crore2.

The Ministry is headed by a Cabinet Minister, Shri Jual Oram, and has a Minister of State, Shri Durga Das Uikey. As Minister of State, Shri Uikey answers questions in Parliament on the Ministry’s behalf, reviews programmes and represents the Ministry at national and state-level events.

The programme — work of the Ministry and the Government of India, often delivered with States and other ministries.

Documented role — what official or credible sources record Durga Das Uikey himself doing or saying.

02 · Programmes

Programmes and his documented role

A

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

PM-JANMAN

Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan

The programme

Launched by the Prime Minister on 15 November 2023 at Khunti, Jharkhand, and approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 November 2023 with an outlay of ₹24,104 crore (Centre ₹15,336 crore; States ₹8,768 crore). It targets 75 PVTG communities in 18 States and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands through 11 interventions delivered by 9 ministries2.

Documented role

  • 22 Aug 2024 With Union Minister Jual Oram, reviewed the progress of PM-JANMAN schemes and the preparedness for a nationwide awareness campaign (23 August – 10 September 2024, 194 districts)3.
  • 2 Apr 2026 Answered in the Lok Sabha on the implementation of PM-JANMAN4.
  • 13 Aug 2026 Informed the Lok Sabha that 831 mobile medical units were operational under PM-JANMAN as on 30 June 20265.
B

Tribal villages · convergence

Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan

Outlay
₹79,156 cr
Villages
63,843
Districts
549
Interventions
25
Ministries
17

The programme

Approved by the Cabinet on 18 September 2024 and launched by the Prime Minister at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, on 2 October 2024. It seeks to close gaps in infrastructure and services in tribal villages through 25 interventions implemented by 17 line ministries over five years, 2024-25 to 2028-29, covering 2,911 blocks in 30 States and Union Territories6.

Documented role

  • 2 Oct 2024 Listed by PIB among the dignitaries present at the launch at Hazaribagh6.
  • 2 Apr 2026 Answered Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 6227 on the implementation of the Abhiyan4.
  • 13 Aug 2026 Informed the Lok Sabha of 474 mobile medical units under the Abhiyan as of July 2026, and of 15 Centres of Competence for sickle cell disease approved under it5.
C

Responsive governance

Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan

The programme

A national programme to build a cadre of 20 lakh tribal grassroots functionaries and change leaders. Its first Regional Process Lab opened in Bengaluru on 10 July 2025; the Prime Minister formally launched the Abhiyan at Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, on 17 September 2025, with an aim of reaching about 11 crore tribal citizens in one lakh villages7.

Documented role

  • Aug 2025 Addressed District Master Trainers at the Adi Karmayogi State Process Lab in Raipur, with Chhattisgarh Minister Ramvichar Netam and the Managing Director of TRIFED8.
  • 10 Sep 2025 Launched “Adi Sanskriti”, a digital learning platform for tribal art, culture and knowledge systems, at a national conference on Adi Karmayogi at Bharat Mandapam9.
  • 17 Sep 2025 Quoted by PIB: “The cascade model of Governance Labs and Adi Sewa Kendras ensures responsive governance reaches every doorstep. This will bring true last-mile delivery and scheme saturation across tribal areas.”7
D

Education

Eklavya Model Residential Schools

The programme

Residential schools for Scheduled Tribe students. 728 schools are approved under the scheme; as of December 2025, 723 had been sanctioned and 499 were functional10.

Documented role

Gave the written answers to Parliament reporting EMRS progress, on 7 August 2025 (Lok Sabha) and 4 February 2026 (Rajya Sabha)10.

E

Health

Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination

The programme

The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched by the Prime Minister on 1 July 2023 at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, with the goal of eliminating the disease as a public-health problem by 204711.

Documented role

Addressed the National Conclave on Sickle Cell Disease on World Sickle Cell Day, 19 June 2024 — within days of taking office. PIB reported his view that India “would surely achieve success in eradicating Sickle Cell Diseases from the country by 2047”12.

03 · Languages, heritage & museums

Preserving tribal languages and memory

The programmes

Adi Vaani, an AI-based translation platform for tribal languages built by an IIT Delhi-led consortium, was launched in beta on 1 September 2025 with Santali, Bhili, Mundari and Gondi13. The Ministry has sanctioned 11 Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums in 10 States; four had been set up by February 202614. Since 2021, 15 November — the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda — has been observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas15.

Documented role

  • 1 Sep 2025 Lit the ceremonial lamp at the beta launch of Adi Vaani in New Delhi; PIB reports him describing language as “the foundation of cultural identity”13.
  • 24 Aug 2026 Inaugurated the three-day National Conclave on Tribal Languages and Museums in Mysuru, organised by the Ministry with the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Karnataka’s ST Welfare Department and the Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute16.
Durga Das Uikey and other dignitaries lighting a tall brass lamp on stage beneath a banner for the National Conclave on Tribal Languages and Museums
Inaugurating the National Conclave on Tribal Languages and Museums, Mysuru, 24 August 2026.
24–26 August 2026 · Mysuru

At the Mysuru conclave

Reports of the inaugural session record the release of primers in tribal languages for Karnataka, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and the Central Institute of Indian Languages on language documentation, the launch of an AI conversational assistant for the Ministry, and an upgrade to Adi Vaani with an iOS app and five additional languages17.

“Tribal languages play a key role in the expression of Indian heritage and culture.”

Durga Das Uikey, as reported by Star of Mysore, 24 August 202616

He also said the Ministry would consider setting up a permanent Tribal Museum in Mysuru16.

04 · Livelihoods & local democracy

Markets, forest produce and the Gram Sabha

Through TRIFED and the Van Dhan programme, the Ministry supports tribal artisans and collectors of minor forest produce. The entries below record his participation.

  1. Oct 2024

    Aadi Mahotsav, Gujarat

    Inaugurated the TRIFED Aadi Mahotsav (13–22 October 2024) in Gujarat, with State Tribal Development Minister Kuberbhai Dindor; about 190 tribal artisans took part18.

  2. 16 Feb 2025

    Aadi Mahotsav 2025, New Delhi

    At the festival inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu, PIB quoted him: “Aadi Mahotsav strengthens the livelihoods of tribal artisans by providing access to national and international markets. We are committed to expanding these opportunities for our tribal entrepreneurs.”19

  3. 30 Oct 2025

    Model Youth Gram Sabha

    At the launch of the Model Youth Gram Sabha initiative, he was reported as saying that “the soul of democracy rests in Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat is the first unit of government”20.

  4. Mar 2026

    Van Dhan Conclave, Bharat Tribes Fest

    Spoke of the exploitation of collectors of mahua, tendu, honey, lac and sal seeds by middlemen, and of a shift in policy “from welfare to empowerment”; called for regular evaluation of Van Dhan Kendras and self-help groups and for better packaging and branding21.

Sources

  1. Lok Sabha, Digital Sansad — Member profile, positions held. sansad.in
  2. PIB — Cabinet approves PM-JANMAN, 29 Nov 2023 (outlay, PVTGs, ST population per Census 2011). PRID 1980692
  3. PIB — PM-JANMAN review and IEC campaign, 23 Aug 2024. PRID 2047979
  4. PIB — Lok Sabha answers, 2 Apr 2026: Implementation of DAJGUA (PRID 2248341); Implementation of PM-JANMAN (PRID 2248369).
  5. PIB — Lok Sabha answer, 13 Aug 2026 (mobile medical units; sickle cell Centres of Competence). PRID 2298814
  6. PIB — Launch of Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, Hazaribagh, 2 Oct 2024. PRID 2061196
  7. PIB — Adi Karmayogi: first Regional Process Lab, 10 Jul 2025 (PRID 2143766); launch at Dhar, 17 Sep 2025 (PRID 2167790).
  8. TRIFED — State Process Lab, Raipur, under the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan (posted 25 Aug 2025). trifed.tribal.gov.in
  9. All India Radio (newsonair) — Launch of Adi Sanskriti, 10 Sep 2025. newsonair.gov.in
  10. PIB — EMRS answers: 7 Aug 2025, Lok Sabha (PRID 2153511); 4 Feb 2026, Rajya Sabha (PRID 2223008).
  11. PIB — Launch of the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, Shahdol, 1 Jul 2023. PRID 1936735
  12. PIB — National Conclave on Sickle Cell Disease, 19 Jun 2024. PRID 2026741
  13. PIB — Beta launch of Adi Vaani, 1 Sep 2025. PRID 2162846
  14. PIB — Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums, Lok Sabha answer, 5 Feb 2026. PRID 2223714
  15. PIB — Cabinet declares 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, 10 Nov 2021. PRID 1770508
  16. PIB — National Conclave on Tribal Languages & Museums begins in Mysuru, Aug 2026 (PRID 2302927); Star of Mysore, “3-day National Conclave on ‘Tribal languages and museums’ begins” (starofmysore.com).
  17. NE India Broadcast — “Centre, CIIL and Karnataka launch three-day tribal languages conclave”, 25 Aug 2026 (secondary source). neindiabroadcast.com
  18. TRIFED — Aadi Mahotsav inaugurated by Shri Durga Das Uikey (posted 17 Oct 2024). trifed.tribal.gov.in
  19. PIB — Aadi Mahotsav 2025, 16 Feb 2025. PRID 2103858
  20. All India Radio (newsonair) — Model Youth Gram Sabha, 30 Oct 2025. newsonair.gov.in
  21. All India Radio (newsonair) — Van Dhan Conclave, 29 Mar 2026. newsonair.gov.in
Next · 07Public Service