The Central University of Orissa (CUO) for the first time in the country has been selected to establish a Rajiv Gandhi Chair for Tribal Studies for promoting developmental activities on various tribal issues in the KBK region.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned funds under the General Development Assistance Plan of the Central Government for the year 2013-14 under which posts of a chair professor, a post-doctoral fellow, a junior research fellow and two technical assistants have been sanctioned for five years.
CUO Vice-Chancellor Prof Surabhi Banerjee said the Koraput region is the right place for research studies concerning the issues relating to tribals. The various research-oriented and documentations on tribal issues like preservation of their cultural heritages, agricultural practices, ecology, customs, professions, traditional practices, tribal health and education can be undertaken by the university through this chair.
She added that there is a dire need of research and survey works regarding the feasibilities for potential issues of ICT of tribal development in the region.