Prez urges tribal women to come forward to reap benefits of govt scheme

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Jharkhand, on Thursday urged tribal women to come forward and reap the benefits of government schemes.

She also said there is a need to preserve the cultural identity of Scheduled Tribe community.

"Come forward and take the benefits of government schemes which are run for your welfare. Tribal women of Jharkhand are ahead of those in other states when it comes to women empowerment," Murmu said at an event in Khunti.

Jharkhand tribal women have shown "exemplary performance in sports", she said, adding that women in the state are also contributing to the economic growth of the country.

The President interacted with women members of Self Help Groups in Khunti, the birthplace of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

The programme - Mahila SHGs Sammelan - was organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation.

Around 25,000 tribal women participated in the programme at the Birsa Munda College stadium here.

The President stressed on the need for preserving the distinct cultural identity of tribals and said their society is "free of evil practices such as dowry".

Murmu also visited stalls showcasing diverse tribal crafts, and live demonstrations of tribal arts were also organised there.

Various tribal products were displayed in 20 stalls for which several suppliers and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras of Jharkhand and Bihar had been invited to participate in the exhibition.

Later in the day, the President will attend the second convocation of IIIT, Ranchi.

Murmu on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Baba Baidyanath temple in Deoghar district.

She also inaugurated the new building of the Jharkhand High Court in Ranchi, built at a cost of around Rs 550 crore.