This is the first time that tribal groups from across the country would be in Delhi at the time of the festive occasion of Diwali. The tribal carnival would showcase the capabilities of the tribal communities, in the national capital,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating First National Tribal Carnival-2016 in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion he also said, “The life of the tribal communities was marked by intense struggle. Yet, the tribal communities had imbibed the ideals of community living, and of living cheerfully despite troubles.” The Prime Minister also said the Government was committed to using modern technology such as underground mining and coal gasification, which would minimise disturbance to tribal settlements. He also spoke of the Rurban Mission, which would focus on development of rural growth centres.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, in his welcome address said “The ministry is committed for the all round development of tribals in the country. We are also concentrating on the education of tribals through Eklavya School and scholarships for the tribal youth.” He also added, “Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana is another important scheme of the ministry which has proved beneficial for the tribals.”
Also present at the event were Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Madhav Dave, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sudarshan Bhagat, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai. About 1200 tribal artists from the various states and UTs performed carnival parade in their traditional attire during the inaugural ceremony.
The four day long carnival organised by Ministry of Tribal Affairs to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst the tribals. The carnival showcase and promote various facets of tribal culture on a large scale. The underlying idea is to preserve and promote various facets of the tribal life relating to culture, tradition, customs and their skills and to expose it to the general public with a view to utilizing the potential for overall holistic development of the scheduled tribes. Activities like displaying documents on traditional socio-culture aspects, exhibition of art/artifacts, cultural performances, demonstration of skills like sports, paintings, traditional healing practices etc. will be part of the four day event. This carnival will provide the stage for deliberations on important subjects affecting tribal development. It will also give an exposure of marketability of tribal products like textiles, paintings, artefacts so that it has a catalytic effect on income-generating activities and tribal livelihood.ns