Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali visited Tribal Research Institute (TRI) & Tribal Museum at Bhubaneswar. The Minister also held detailed discussion with Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes in Odisha Government on tribal schemes.The Minister along with Director Tribal Research Institute Dr. Prof A B Ota visited Tribal Research Institute &Tribal Museum and inspected the presentation of 62 tribes.The Minister was informed that the Museum was established in the year 1953 and it has become a hub of anthropological interest for the local people, tourists and overseas visitors. The main Museum Building displays Dress and Ornaments, Personal Belongings, Arts and Photographs, Hunting & Fishing implements, Household Objects, Dance and Musical Instruments and Dhokra Items.The Minister during his visit to Museum inspected replicas of 14 tribal Shrine Crafts which are displayed in the courtyard of the Museum where the tribal deities are enshrined.Chowdhary Zulfkar also inspected replicas of five Houses of Tribes including Santal, Juang, Gadaba, Saora and Kandha each of these were built along with their shrine crafts, arts and artifacts and household appliances.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that J&K Government is also planning to construct the Tribal Museum and the foundation stone has already been laid for construction of Tribal Research Institute at Khimber in Srinagar.
Meanwhile the Minister called upon Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes in Odisha Government and discussed tribal issues with him.Majhi briefed Zulfkar about broad programme comments for tribals and said that in Capacity Building programme they are supporting NGOs in community mobilization, awareness about rights and duties & participatory planning while they have Livelihood Enhancement programme in which they focus on land and water management, Forest enterprises, Increase in Agri productivity, micro-finance, development of community based economic & social infrastructureThe Minister briefed Zulfkar that there is Support for Policy Initiatives programme in which they offer legal defense fund for land restoration, operational costs for detection and disposal of land alienation costs, funds for survey &settlement besides briefed about Development Initiative Fund which is a flexible fund for good ideas. He also briefed about Food handling programme.Majhi added that overall strategy of the Programme focuses on empowering the tribal’s and enabling them to enhance their food security, increase their incomes and improve their overall quality of life through more efficient natural resource management based on the principles of improved watershed management and more productive environmentally sound agricultural practices and through off-farm/non-farm enterprise development.
The Ministers also discussed educational development of the ST communities & improving access to educational facilities through residential educational institutions. It was informed that Odisha was among the pioneers in setting up of Residential Educational Institutions since the initial years.Chowdhary Zulfkar appreciated the role of Odhisa Government for taking efficient steps for tribal welfare and said that JK Government will adopt best practices of Odisha in tribal development in the state.