Vijayawada: Tribal welfare minister Gummidi Sandhya Rani on Monday informed the Assembly that proposals to declare 496 villages with over 50 per cent tribal population as Scheduled Areas are under active consideration. She said Anakapalli district administration has been asked to submit a report on including certain villages in Madugula constituency, where nine gram panchayats comprising 60 villages with a tribal population of more than 25,000 have been identified. Sandhya Rani detailed the criteria laid down by the Centre for declaring Scheduled Areas: high tribal population, regional compactness, suitability as an administrative unit, and economic backwardness compared to neighboring areas. Highlighting welfare measures, she said the government allocated ₹8,159 crore for tribal welfare this year. The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to improving education, healthcare, employment, transport, and infrastructure in tribal areas, and assured more initiatives would be rolled out soon.