New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS): The government Tuesday launched a programme under which Rs.10 crore will be provided to each block for the development of various facilities for Scheduled Tribes.

The "Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana" (VKY) was launched by Tribal Welfare Minister Jual Oram at a meeting of the tribal welfare ministers of states and union territories.

The scheme was launched on a pilot basis in one block each in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Under the scheme, the Centre will provide Rs.10 crore to each block for the development of various facilities for tribals.

The blocks have been selected on the recommendations of the concerned states and have very low literacy rate.

"The scheme mainly focuses on bridging infrastructural gaps and gaps in human development indices between Scheduled Tribes and other social groups," Oram said.

The minister said blocks having at least 33 percent of tribal population will be chosen for the programme.