Niyad Nella Nar Initiative

• 08 Jul 2025

Why in News? 

Irkabhatti, located in Narayanpur district in Bastar division, was previously a village where basic needs, especially education, were unattainable due to the Maoist insurgency.  

• However, through the state government’s ‘Niyad Nella Nar’ scheme, focused efforts have been made to improve education, connectivity, and infrastructure.

Key Points

• ‘Niyad Nella Nar’ Scheme: 
  • The Niyad Nellanar scheme is a Chhattisgarh government initiative focused on providing basic amenities and welfare benefits to Naxal-affected villages in the state.  
    • Niyad Nellanar, meaning “aapka achcha gaon” or “your good village” is the local Dandami dialect (spoken in south Bastar). 
  • The scheme aims to improve living standards by offering services for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). 
  • It focuses on delivering essential facilities like housing, healthcare, water, electricity, roads, and education within a kilometer radius of security camps. 
    • Families in these villages will receive free gas cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme, ration cards, irrigation pumps, free electricity, Anganwadi, and certificates of forest rights. 

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) 

• The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a flagship initiative aimed at providing clean cooking fuel (LPG) to rural and economically disadvantaged households. 
  • It was launched on 1st May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. 
• The scheme targets families that previously relied on traditional fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes for cooking. 
• Health and Environmental Impact: 
  • The use of traditional fuels posed serious health risks, especially for rural women exposed to indoor air pollution. 
  • It also contributed to environmental degradation due to deforestation and carbon emissions. 
• Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in August 2021 as the second phase of the scheme.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) 

• About: 
  • A PVTG is a sub-classification of a Scheduled Tribe or section of a Scheduled Tribe that is considered more vulnerable than a regular Scheduled Tribe. The Indian Government created the PVTG list to improve their living. 
• State-wise Distribution: 
  • There are 75 PVTGs in India, with the highest number—13—in Odisha, followed by 12 in Andhra Pradesh. 
  • There are 7 PVTGs in Chhattisgarh, who live in 17 of the state’s 33 districts.  
    • These are Kamar, Baiga, Pahadi Korba, Abujhmadiya, Birhor, Pando and Bhujia. 
    • While the first five tribes have been declared PVTG by the central government, the remaining two, Pando and Bhujia, have been given the tag by the state government. 
• Article 342(1): The President with respect to any State/UT (after consultation with the Governor in case of state) may specify the tribes/tribal communities/part of or groups within tribes/ tribal communities as a Scheduled Tribe in that State/UT. 
  • Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of STs specified in a notification issued under article 342(1) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.