Content :

1. PM JUGA – India’s Largest Tribal Village Development Scheme
2. AI & Drone-Based Agricultural Transformation in India

PM JUGA – India’s Largest Tribal Village Development Scheme

Context & Significance

• Launched: October 2, 2024, from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
• Objective: All-round, all-inclusive development of over 63,000 tribal-majority villages, covering ~5 crore tribal people (≈50% of India’s ST population).
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in convergence with 17 line ministries.
• Total Budget: ₹79,156 crore
  – Centre: ₹56,333 cr | States: ₹22,823 cr
• Geographic Reach: 549 districts (~71% of Indian districts).

Relevance : GS 1(Society ), GS 2(Social Justice)

Coverage Criteria

• Villages with:
  • ≥500 population with ≥50% tribal residents
  • Villages in Aspirational Districts with ≥50 tribal residents
• Targets: Address critical gaps in housing, health, education, livelihood, connectivity, and governance.

Sectoral Interventions – Converging Flagship Schemes

Alignment with SDGs

• SDG 3: Mobile health units, Anganwadis, Poshan Vatikas
• SDG 4: Hostels, tribal schools, Ashram school upgrades
• SDG 8: Tribal marketing centres, tourism, pisciculture
• SDG 9: Roads, housing, digital infra, electricity, LPG, tap water

Case Study: Bairlutygudem, Andhra Pradesh

• Issue: Chronic water scarcity; dangerous treks through wildlife zones.
• Solution: Tap water via Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Outcome:
  • Village Water & Sanitation Committee (all women-led) now maintains systems.
  • Community ownership model replicated in other tribal hamlets.

Comparison: PM JUGA vs PM JANMAN

Decade of Tribal Welfare: Key Achievements

Cultural Empowerment

• Janjatiya Gaurav Divas: Nov 15 (Birsa Munda’s birthday)
  • 2024: 150th anniversary; 1+ crore participation
  • 46,000 events across India
  • 11 Tribal Freedom Fighter Museums sanctioned
• TRIs: 9 new Tribal Research Institutes set up post-2014

Governance & Monitoring Framework

• Gram Sabha Empowerment:
  • FRA claim processing
  • Capacity-building of PRI members
• MIS & Dashboard: Real-time tracking of scheme implementation across ministries
• Convergence Model: PM JUGA as template for tribal mainstreaming in national programs

Critical Analysis

Strengths	Gaps/Challenges
Largest integrated tribal development scheme in India’s history	✘ Risk of implementation lag due to inter-ministerial coordination issues
Strong SDG alignment & outcome-based approach	✘ Last-mile delivery in difficult terrains
Community ownership (e.g., water committees)	✘ Continued vulnerability of PVTGs beyond infrastructure access
Convergence boosts cost-efficiency & accountability	✘ Monitoring & audit transparency yet to be fully institutionalized
Combines economic, social, and ecological goals	✘ Digitisation & e-services gaps in no-internet zones

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

1. Who are PVTGs?

• Subset of Scheduled Tribes, most vulnerable and marginalized.
• Identified based on:
  • Pre-agricultural level of technology
  • Stagnant/declining population
  • Extremely low literacy
  • Subsistence-level economy

2. Key Facts

Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act)

Purpose

Corrects historical injustice to forest-dwelling communities by recognizing their rights over forest land and resources.

Types of Rights Under FRA

Conclusion

PM JUGA represents a paradigm shift in tribal development, leveraging convergence, data-driven planning, and culturally sensitive implementation. Backed by a decade of scaled-up investment, the scheme positions India as a global leader in inclusive, tribal-centric development.

AI & Drone-Based Agricultural Transformation in India

Policy Context & Relevance

• India is harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and drone technologies to revolutionize agriculture.
• The focus is on:
  • Boosting crop productivity
  • Enhancing resilience to climate change
  • Empowering small/marginal farmers
  • Ensuring precision farming and resource optimization

Relevance : GS 3(Agriculture , Technology)

Key AI-Driven Government Initiatives

(i) Kisan e-Mitra

• AI-powered voice chatbot for real-time farmer assistance.
• Handles >20,000 farmer queries per day; answered 95 lakh+ queries to date.
• Supports 11 regional languages.
• Initially focused on PM-Kisan, now scaling to cover other schemes.

(ii) National Pest Surveillance System

• Uses AI + ML + image recognition to detect 400+ pests across 61 crops.
• Helps farmers upload pest images for identification → promotes timely intervention.
• Utilized by 10,000+ extension workers, mitigating climate-linked crop loss.

(iii) Satellite-Based Crop Mapping

• Uses field photos + satellite data for crop-weather matching.
• Enables real-time monitoring of sown areas and crop health.

Drone Promotion: Financial Architecture under SMAM

– Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)

• Objective: Encourage drone adoption via targeted subsidies for:
  • Demonstration
  • Individual ownership
  • Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs)

Namo Drone Didi: Women Empowerment via Drones

State-Wise Drone Distribution (As of July 2025)

Top States: AP, MP, UP, Karnataka, Telangana
Lagging States: Bihar (10), Assam (9), Nagaland (2), Manipur (4)

Critical Evaluation

Strengths	Challenges
Multi-channel AI interventions	✘ Limited AI literacy among farmers
Gender-focussed drone policy	✘ Dependency on state-level implementation capacity
Real-time pest/crop health monitoring	✘ Patchy broadband/internet connectivity in rural areas
Use of SHGs, FPOs, CHCs ensures decentralized access	✘ Data privacy and misuse concerns from image/voice-based systems

Conclusion

India’s push to integrate AI and drone tech in agriculture is a transformative leap toward precision farming, climate resilience, and inclusive agri-growth. From Kisan e-Mitra to Namo Drone Didi, these initiatives symbolize a convergence of Digital India, Skill India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat in the agri-sector.