Budget 2026: Marginal hike in allocations for Social Justice Dept., Tribal Affairs Ministry
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has received an increase in funds to implement the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) program for tribal students on a large scale. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Allocations to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs remained largely the same in the Union Budget 2026-27 compared to the Budget Estimates (BE) 2025-26.
The ministries implement welfare schemes for marginalized sections such as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Tribes (DNTs) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
According to budget documents, the Ministry of Social Justice’s allocation for 2026-27 is ₹ 13,687.59 crore and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been allocated ₹ 15,421.97 crore. Allocations have increased by 16.69% and 42.47% respectively compared to the Revised Estimates (RE) for the current fiscal. Compared to BE, the amounts increased by 0.56% and 3.32% respectively.
The allocation to the Ministry of Social Justice has been increased mostly to implement the scholarship scheme for SCs, STs, OBCs and the scheme to provide employment, livelihood and housing to certain, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has received an increase in allocation to implement the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) program for tribal students on a large scale.
Fillip for SEED schema
The Economic Empowerment of DNTs Program (SEED) of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has received an increase of over 64% in allocation compared to RE. The allocation increased from ₹61.56 crore to ₹101 crore.
Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana allocation for senior citizens has been increased by around ₹ 100 crore. While the allocation for expansion of post-matric scholarships for SCs has been increased by ₹ 360 crore, the allocation for granting scholarships for OBCs, DNTs and Extremely Backward Classes has seen an increase of ₹ 820 crore.
Allocation for Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ EMRS scheme has been increased from ₹ 4,900 crore in RE to ₹ 7,150.01 crore for 2026-27. Allocation for providing pre- and post-matric scholarships to ST students has also been increased.
It was published – 01 February 2026 23:40 IST
