Srinagar, July 2 -- Over the last ten years, the numbers have spoken loudly. In 2014, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was working with a budget of Rs.4,295 crore. By 2024, that figure had more than doubled.

This year, the budget stands at nearly Rs.15,000 crore. The investments are growing faster than in most other sectors.

New schemes now carry enormous weight. The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan was launched with an Rs.80,000 crore outlay across five years. Across India, the government is talking about tribal welfare not as a side plan but as a centrepiece of development.

In Jammu and Kashmir, I've seen the campaigns reach remote areas. I visited community drives in Anantnag, where Gujjar, Bakerwal, and Pahadi families came...