President Pranab Mukherjee today said the respect and honour accorded by tribal communities to their women is worth emulating and holds "significant lessons" for the society at large.
He was speaking to a group of young participants of the 7th tribal youth exchange programme organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
Mukherjee said there is a lot to learn from the tribal societies.
"The gender behaviour and relations in tribal communities and the respect and honour accorded to tribal women in their societies holds significant lessons for us. We must also learn from the manner in which the tribal societies have retained, nurtured and developed their contact with nature," he said.
The President said the notion of tribal welfare is not just about development of tribal communities through economic progress but a larger concept of lifestyle that fosters holistic living.
"The philosophy for tribal welfare enunciated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was human development with conservation of their rich and diverse cultural heritage. The challenge in preparing any policy for tribal uplift exists even now as the policymakers have to strike the right balance between preservation of tribal identity with their distinct culture and values while ensuring their access to mainstream education, healthcare and income generating opportunities," Mukherjee said.
