Vice President Calls for Prioritisation of Development and Welfare of Tribal Communities

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for the prioritization of the development and welfare of the tribal communities. Advocating against any paternalistic attitude towards the tribals, the Vice President said, we have a lot to learn from the tribal communities who live a simple life in harmony with Nature. He was addressing the 50th convocation ceremony of the Utkal University in Bhubaneswar in Odisha today.

News reports, describing Odisha as special in the way that it has a sizable tribal population accounting for 23% of the state's total population and 9.17 % of the total tribal population of the country, the Vice-President cited a study by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute which revealed that the tribal population in Odisha was largely unaffected by a covid-19 pandemic.

Hailing the unique customary practices and tradition of the tribals, the Vice President said that safe distancing and hygiene norms rooted in the tribal



culture coupled with the consumption of natural food have helped them stay safe during the pandemic. He called upon the universities to focus on such positive aspects of the tribal communities and include them in the curriculum besides conducting research to contribute to policy formation for the development and welfare of the tribals.  

The Vice President called for making disaster management an integral part of school education. Urging the youth to fight against social evils like gender discrimination, casteism, communalism, and corruption, Mr. Naidu termed the youth as the key to change.

On the occasion, the Vice President honored 5 notable personalities including Shaktikanta Das, RBI Governor,  and Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India with 'Honoris Causa',  besides awarding doctoral degrees and gold medals to the university scholars. Governor of Odisha, Professor Ganeshi Lal, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.