The Parents’ and Guardians’ Association of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) observed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on Thursday.
Hundreds of tribal parents went in a rally to the district Collector’s office and handed over a memorandum of demands to the authorities. The demands included supply of subsidised rice, free electricity, land to the KISS tribal University, Bhubaneswar. They condemned the roles of some vested interest persons and media houses trying to defame the university.
Out of the 27,000 tribal students at the KISS University, about 3,000 are from Keonjhar district who are getting free residential education. This is a noble initiative for development of tribals in Odisha, the parents said. Tribal leaders from the Bhuyan, Gond, Bathudi, Santal, Juang communities joined the programme.