Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar said that the allocation for Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) funds has been increased from 19,437 crore rupees in 2014-15 to 87,585 crore rupees in 2022-23. Briefing the media on initiatives taken by the government for tribal empowerment, Dr. Pawar said the fund allocation for the Tribal Affairs Ministry also has increased from 3,832 crore rupees in 2014-15 to 8,407 crore rupees in 2022-23. She elaborated on various scholarship schemes for ST students and said, these schemes help them to enroll in premier institutes including IITs, NITs, and IIMs.<br />''<br />''The Minister underlined that under Van Dhan Yojana, more than 3,000 self-help groups are benefitting women linked to international marketing through the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India.<br />''<br />''<br />