Kamal Ghorui
Haridwar: Union minister for tribal affairs Jual Oram on Friday said the Centre is working to empower tribal communities while preserving their culture and traditions.Speaking at a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Haridwar, organised by the ministry of tribal affairs, he said, “We need to balance traditional knowledge with modern policies to ensure overall development without affecting identity and heritage.”The event was attended by principal secretaries from various states, senior ministry officials and representatives from tribal areas.Minister of state Durgadas Uikey said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, the dignity of tribal communities has increased, as seen in Droupadi Murmu becoming the President.”Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna spoke about the role of yoga, Ayurveda and traditional knowledge in improving livelihoods. “Reviving traditional practices and linking them with modern science can help tribal communities,” Balkrishna said. Ramdev said Patanjali’s global recognition for yoga and Ayurveda should inspire tribal communities to use their traditional resources wisely.Tribal affairs secretary Ranjana Chopra said the meeting aimed to review ongoing schemes and plan future initiatives. She added tribal communities play an important role in protecting nature and maintaining ecological balance.Padma Shri awardee Ajai Kumar Mandavi from Bastar told TOI that he is working on the rehabilitation of ‘Naxals’ who have recently surrendered. “Around 400 ‘Naxals’ have already been rehabilitated, and work is underway to rehabilitate 60 more at the BSF camp in Mulla, Bastar,” he said.Bannwan Losu, a tribal from Arunachal Pradesh, is a linguist who has developed a 44-letter script for the Wancho language spoken in parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Myanmar. He said it took him 12 years to develop the script, which has now been recognised and accepted in Unicode. Losu is also involved in environmental conservation efforts.
