As part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah, on Tuesday inaugurated the National Tribal Research Institute in New Delhi.
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda and other Cabinet and State Ministers, including, the Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju; MoS Tribal Affairs, Renuka Singh Saruta; Minority Affairs, John Barla and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Shah in his address said that today is a very important day for the entire country, especially for the tribal society, as National Tribal Research Institute is coming into existence according to the vision of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. There are many Tribal Research Institutes in the country, but there was no national link connecting many diversities of tribal society and this institute built according to the vision of Narendra Modi will become that link.
Shah said that Narendra Modi also announced and celebrated Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas for the first time after Independence. As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi started a scheme in the form of Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana for the overall development of tribal society, which led to development of individuals, villages and regions. Tribal society cannot develop unless there is complete development of the individual, the village and the region.
Addressing the gathering, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Law and Justice, said that this is now the responsibility of all concerned and research fellows present here to take the tribal culture, history and development, forward. Rijiju remarked, “This is a landmark event as a National Tribal Research Institute and its state TRIs will be taking forward the study of various distinctive tribal communities and the rich indigenous history, cultural heritage and art.” He added, “Following the vision of our PM, it is our duty and shared responsibility to encourage and empower tribals for a stronger Atmanirbhar Bharat tomorrow.”
During the event, Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal Affairs, stated that the inauguration of NTRI is a landmark initiative of the Tribal Affairs Ministry and will herald a new chapter in the Institutional Development of Tribals and their welfare. He also said that NTRI along with state TRIs will help in strengthening policy making. Arjun Munda disclosed that the Ministry of Tribal affairs has achieved the distinction of running most of its programmes in digital mode.
Today, 30 lakh tribal students are being awarded direct scholarships through the DBT Mechanism of the Ministry, he informed. Thus, we are efficiently processing all the work related to the scholarship scheme online and ensuring that the projects with the NGOs and COEs as well as with states remains ongoing through the digital mode, Munda added.
Later, briefing the media Munda said that NTRI will work to deliver outcome-based implementation of schemes, programmes and policies for tribal population right down to the grassroot level. It will harness the expertise of Universities, NGOs, COEs and other experts in various fields to undertake research, training, capacity building which will help the tribal population to embark upon the renewed journey of development including good livelihood , health , education and Atma Nirbharta and their ultimate empowerment. The apex Research Institute will provide inputs to help fill policy gaps at various levels and also ensure that the Schedule Tribe Component of various Ministries converts into actual delivery on the ground for transformation of tribal society, the Minister explained.
