On Wednesday, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Education, emphasised the importance of strengthening tribal communities and noted that the Center’s motto is “Sab ka Sath, Sab ka Vikas.”
Minister Pradhan of the Union remarked, “In my opinion, this is an achievement of the nation that President Droupadi Murmu, who comes from a distant village in Odisha, acquired the highest constitutional post.” He used President Draupadi Murmu as an example.
In his remarks to the media, he stated that “The Centre is devoted to improving the indigenous community, and providing education, health, and employment.”
The Minister stated that an effort had been made to recognise the unsung heroes of the liberation movement and that for the first time a National Tribal Research Institute had been established to examine tribal concerns on a national basis.
In this context, Pradhan mentioned Bhagwan Birsa Munda to Laxman Naik, Nirmal Munda, Madho Singh, and many more liberation fighters.
Speaking on education, Pradhan stated that indigenous populations will benefit greatly from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s major focus on education in local languages and mother tongues. Additionally, he discussed the Eklavya Model Residential Schools for the indigenous people, which currently enroll over 1 lakh pupils.
Pradhan also discussed how tribal leaders played a crucial role in the liberation fight and how the government is working to honour this rich legacy and history through programmes like opening tribal museums and marking Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
Other initiatives, he added, include the creation of the first-ever National Tribal Research Institute, the construction of searchable tribal digital record repositories, the SFRUTI (Program of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) scheme, and the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
