Revision summary
TSP earmarks plan funds for Scheduled Tribes in proportion to population. The objective is to stop Adivasis being leftovers of general development. It pairs with Schedule and PESA as rights-based integration. Elwin’s protection is recast as a budget shield. Leakage and elite capture remain the practical failure.
Model answer
Introduction
The Tribal Sub-Plan’s main objective is to channel a dedicated share of public money to Scheduled Tribe areas and people, so general planning does not skip Adivasis. It is integration as budget, not as Ghurye’s Hinduisation.
Body
Objective
- TSP, from the Fifth Plan onward, earmarks funds in proportion to ST population for infrastructure, education, health, and livelihoods in tribal tracts.
- The aim is to close the development gap without treating tribe as a residual of the district plan.
- It sits with the Fifth Schedule and later PESA: money plus self-rule, in Elwin’s protective spirit recast as citizenship.
Why it was needed
- Mines, forests, and plains politics captured general schemes. Verrier Elwin’s warning about unfair contact became a fiscal problem.
- A small tribal elite could still take jobs while the majority stayed land-poor.
Limit
- Diversion of TSP funds and weak Gram Sabha control mean the objective is often missed on the ground.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD TSP[Tribal Sub-Plan] --> F[Earmarked funds] F --> G[Gap closure ST] D[Diversion] --> F
Conclusion
TSP’s main objective is protected, population-linked public investment for STs. It works only if funds reach land and school, not only line departments.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Effect of displacement through development on the rural landless and marginal farmers .
Next question in the 2015 paper (Q5). View answer →
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Is TSP the same as reservation?
No. Reservation is posts and seats. TSP is development finance for communities and areas.
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Does TSP stop displacement?
Not by itself. Land law and consent decide mines. TSP can at best rebuild after loss.
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