Govt making efforts to preserve cultural identity of tribals: Maha Guv

Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday asserted the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to ensure all-round development of tribals. Special efforts are being made to preserve the cultural identity, traditions and heritage of adivasis, he emphasised and added there are plans to establish a tribal university in Maharashtra. Radhakrishnan was speaking after inaugurating an 'Adivasi Mela' organised by the Chandrapur district administration at Pombhurna town. It is a matter of great pride for a tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post of the country's president, he said. "This region is known as 'Gondwana', which reminds us of the legacy of Gond rulers who governed this land for centuries. The government under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi is very committed to ensure development of tribal people in the region," he said.

"As the Governor, I am also the guardian of scheduled areas of the state which have a large tribal population," Radhakrishnan noted. The Governor pointed out that tribals constitute 9.35 per cent of Maharashtra's population and they are also one of the largest social groups at the national level. Every society has its own unique traditions, customs and history, and Bhil, Gond-Madiya, Katkari, Koli and Warli communities have enriched tribal fraternity, he noted.

"A tribal woman entrepreneur in Gondia district is promoting Gondi-art through a self-help group (SHG) and earning good income from the sale of paintings. It is an inspiring story for others. We need more such enterprising women from tribal communities," Radhakrishnan told the gathering. There are plans to establish a tribal university in Maharashtra which will serve as a centre of transformation for adivasi communities, providing them excellent education and modern skills, he said.

"This university will have a medical college like AIIMS, an engineering and technology college like IIT and a management school like IIM Ahmedabad. The university will provide world-class education to tribal students. A total of 80 per cent seats will be reserved for tribal students while the remaining 20 per cent seats will be for non-tribal pupils," Governor observed. During the programme, the beneficiaries of Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Yojana were given cheques and land leases under the Community Forest Rights. Tribal SHGs and bright students from adivasi communities were also honoured at the hands of Radhakrishnan.