|
With reference to a news item published in a section of press regarding rejection of draft National Tribal Policy by indigenous groups, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has clarified that the Draft National Policy on Tribals has been deliberately put on the Website of Ministry of Tribal Affairs for inviting suggestions/ views and modifications by NGOs and others who have worked in the field of tribal welfare so that we can prepare another background paper for subjecting the same for discussion in the forthcoming regional seminars. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is proposing to hold four regional seminars at (1) Tribal Research Institute, Ooty (South Zone), (2) Tribal Research Institute, Pune (West Zone), (3) Tribal Cultural Research Institute, Kolkata (East Zone) and (4) Shimla (North Zone).
A National level conference is going to be organized by the end of November, 2004 at the National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad, where enough accommodation is available for more than 100 participants.
The only appeal, at present, is not to draw any hasty conclusions. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is very much open to any constructive suggestion in the interest and welfare of tribals, their development and preserving their cultural heritage. In the National level Conference, even the wording “draft National Policy” can be modified if so required. In the meanwhile, hasty conclusions that the Ministry is immune or insensitive to the tribal problems should not be drawn. The Ministry is very much sensitive to the tribal issues and has taken up tribal causes with the other Ministries especially regarding development of forest villages and conferring ownership of land to the tribals living in the forests, and ownership to Minor Forest Produce.
|
