Maharashtra Government makes provision for ₹160 crore in 2026-27 Budget for development of primitive tribes

Maharashtra’s 2026-27 Budget announced a ₹160 crore special package for the holistic development of the Katkari, Kolam and Madia primitive tribes, along with the Pardhi community. The package matters because it combines infrastructure support with direct help for individuals and groups. The Government Resolution implementing it was issued on 2 November 2026.

Of the total, ₹130 crore is reserved for the three primitive tribes and ₹30 crore for the Pardhi community. The money will support basic amenities, individual and collective benefit schemes, and 100% government grants for eligible schemes. Grants range from ₹50,000 for an individual scheme to ₹7.5 lakh for a collective scheme involving two or more beneficiaries.

The package also aims to improve access to public services. It will fund document camps, health check-ups, health education, attendance drives, support for out-of-school children, and summer residential camps for children from migrant families. Women’s Self-Help Groups will receive special encouragement for collective ventures.

The package divides its ₹160 crore total between two beneficiary groups. The Katkari, Kolam and Madia primitive tribes receive ₹130 crore, while the Pardhi community receives ₹30 crore. This split reflects separate allocations within one special development package announced in Maharashtra’s 2026-27 Budget.

For the primitive tribes, ₹100 crore is assigned to basic amenities and ₹30 crore to individual and collective benefit schemes. For the Pardhi community, ₹10 crore is assigned to basic amenities and ₹20 crore to those benefit schemes. Together, these amounts equal the full package: ₹110 crore for basic amenities and ₹50 crore for benefit schemes.

The package also provides 100% government grants for individual and collective benefit schemes. Individual schemes can receive at least ₹50,000, while collective schemes involving two or more beneficiaries can receive up to ₹7.5 lakh. The Government Resolution was issued on 2 November 2026.

A government grant is money provided by a public authority to support an approved activity or benefit scheme. It is generally intended to reduce the cost that individuals or groups would otherwise need to bear. In this package, grants support both individual and collective benefit schemes for the covered communities.

A 100% government grant means the Government covers the full eligible amount under the scheme, rather than requiring beneficiaries to provide a matching contribution. The article gives a minimum grant of ₹50,000 for an individual scheme and a maximum of ₹7.5 lakh for a collective scheme involving two or more beneficiaries.

This support is especially important when people cannot pay their required share under schemes run by other departments. The Tribal Development Department will chip in in such cases, helping beneficiaries access those schemes. The package therefore combines direct grants with support for participation in wider government programmes.

The package funds individual and collective benefit schemes for members of the covered communities. The article does not list specific individual activities, but it states that collective schemes may involve two or more beneficiaries. Women’s Self-Help Groups are a central focus within this support.

Groups of women can receive grants of up to ₹7.5 lakh for collective ventures. The package also provides a minimum grant of ₹50,000 for an individual scheme. If people cannot pay their own share under schemes run by other departments, the Tribal Development Department can contribute so they are not excluded.

Women’s groups are being encouraged for women’s empowerment and economic empowerment of families. The Government expects collective ventures to help women work together and build income-generating opportunities. This approach links financial assistance with group participation, while the 100% government grant reduces the need for beneficiaries to provide their own share.

The package will support awareness drives and special camps to help people secure essential documents. These include Aadhaar Cards, Voter ID Cards, Ration Cards, Caste Certificates, MGNREGA Job Cards, Ayushman Cards and bank accounts. Such documents can help residents access public services and government schemes.

Health support will include check-up camps, visits by Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and nurses, health education, and information about government health schemes. The package also aims to increase student attendance and bring children who are out of school back into mainstream education.

Education measures include residential summer camps in Ashram Schools for children from migrant families. Together, these efforts address access to identity documents, health services and schooling. The article presents them as part of holistic development, alongside basic amenities and individual or collective financial support for the four communities.

Members of these communities may be excluded from ordinary government schemes when those schemes require beneficiaries to pay part of the cost. The article specifically states that some beneficiaries are unable to pay their own share. Without that contribution, they may be deprived of benefits even when they are otherwise eligible.

The special package creates a financial bridge. The Tribal Development Department will chip in when beneficiaries cannot meet their share under schemes operated by other departments. It also provides 100% government grants for individual and collective benefit schemes covered by the package. Individual schemes receive at least ₹50,000, while collective schemes can receive up to ₹7.5 lakh.

This mechanism is intended to turn formal eligibility into practical access. It can help people participate in government programmes rather than stopping at the contribution requirement. The package also combines financial help with document camps, health services and education support, addressing several access points together.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, or PVTGs, are an official category of tribal communities in India identified as facing especially severe and persistent disadvantages. The category is used for communities that may need focused support because standard programmes do not always match their living conditions or reach them effectively. The article does not provide a formal definition of PVTGs.

Targeted programmes can direct money and services toward specific barriers. In this article, the package supports basic amenities, individual and collective schemes, documents, health services and education. It also offers 100% government grants and help with beneficiary contributions, making support more accessible to the Katkari, Kolam and Madia communities and the Pardhi community.

The broader purpose is to improve access and participation for historically marginalised tribal communities. Maharashtra’s package uses special funding rather than relying only on ordinary departmental schemes. Its next steps include implementation under the Government Resolution issued on 2 November 2026, with camps, grants and education measures planned.