Prime Minister inaugurates National Tribal Carnival 2016

India CSR News Network

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated First National Tribal Carnival-2016 in New Delhi on 25 October 2016.

Speaking on the occasion he said 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.

Modi said the tribal carnival would showcase the capabilities of the tribal communities, in the national capital. The Prime Minister said the life of the tribal communities was marked by intense struggle. Yet, he added, the tribal communities had imbibed the ideals of community living, and of living cheerfully despite troubles. The Prime Minister said the Government was committed to using modern technology such as underground mining and coal gasification, which would minimize disturbance to tribal settlements. He also spoke of the Rurban Mission, which would focus on development of rural growth centres.

In his welcome address Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Jual Oram said that is Ministry committed for the all round development of tribals in the country. He said his Ministry is concentrating on the education of tribals through Eklavya School and scholarships for the tribal youth.

Oram said Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana is another important scheme of his Ministry which has proved beneficial for the tribals. He said Ministry of Tribal Affairs is equally concerned to provide suitable market for the forest products produced by tribals.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Madhav Dave, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai also graced the occasion. About 1200 Tribal Artists from the various States / UTs performed carnival parade in their traditional attire during the inaugural ceremony.

The four day long carnival has been 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. Workshop on issues like Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA)- its implementation, benefit to tribal community and its drawbacks, Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 and its implications and reservation in politics and recruitment will also be part of the carnival. 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.

The events during the carnival will be a mix of live musical and dance performances, exhibitions, display of craft, fashion show, panel discussion, book fair etc. The carnival promises to be a mix of art, music, traditional food and one of its kind of non-stop venue for lively entertainment of India’s traditional tribal way of life full of experience and knowledge. Workshops and exhibitions have been organized in Hall No. 7 in Pragati Maidan from October 26 to 28, 2016. Cultural show will be held daily during this period in Hamsdhwani Amphitheatre.

About 1600 tribal artists and around 8000 tribal delegates from States/UTs such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Telangana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Tamil Nadu are attending the carnival. Besides, eminent tribal personalities who have excelled in various field i.e sports, art and culture, literature, academic, medicine etc. are also attending the carnival.