Allocations for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, and the Tribal Affairs Ministry remained largely the same in the Union Budget 2026-27 compared with the 2025-26 Budget Estimates (BE). According to Budget documents, the Social Justice Department’s allocation for 2026-27 is ₹13,687.59 crore and the Tribal Affairs Ministry has been allocated ₹15,421.97 crore. The Tribal Affairs Ministry has received an increase in allocation largely to implement the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) scheme for tribal students. Fillip for SEED schemeThe Department of Social Justice and Empowerment’s Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) received an increase in allocation of over 64% compared with the RE. The allocation for the Tribal Affairs Ministry’s EMRS scheme was increased to ₹7,150.01 crore for 2026-27, up from ₹4,900 crore in the RE.

Source: The Hindu February 02, 2026 04:46 UTC