Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated Aadi Mahotsav, a 12-day mega National Tribal Festival, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here, and said India’s tribal traditions and lifestyle offered a solution to challenges of climate change and global warming faced by the world today.

Narendra Modi said if there is a talk of sustainable development, India can tell the world with pride how much it can learn from Indian tribal societies, and how people connect with trees, jungles and rivers, and benefit from their resources, while protecting them. The Indian tribal traditions are presented now at all international forums as part of India’s glorious past.

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The prime minister said the Indian tribal culture and crafts present the country’s diversity in all its grandeur. India’s tribal products are much in demand today, and the products from north-eastern States are much sought in the international market.

The Aadi Mahotsav, which celebrates the spirit of tribal culture, crafts, cuisine, commerce and traditional art, is an annual initiative of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation Limited (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The prime minister paid floral tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda at the venue and took a walk through stalls at the exhibition.

He said his government had removed all legal restrictions on the use of bamboo, prevalent under the previous Governments. This had helped bamboo-products develop as an industry and their demand is rising. The bamboo has been placed in the category of grass now and all restrictions on the cutting of bamboo trees have been ended. The Government is constantly working to help in the marketing of tribal products.

Giving the example of the Van Dhan Mission, the prime minister said more than 3,000 Van Dhan Kendras have been established in various states. About 90 minor forest products have been brought into the ambit of MSP, seven times more than the number in 2014. Similarly, the growing network of self-help groups in the country is benefiting the tribal society, he said. There are 1.25 crore tribal members in more than 80 lakh self-help groups functioning in the country.

In the 2023-24 Union Budget, he said the allocation for Scheduled Tribes has been increased five times, compared to 2014, the year when his Government came to office. The tribal areas are being provided better infrastructure and upgraded connectivity is creating opportunities for tourism and employment. Thousands of villages, once under the influence of Maoism, today enjoy 4G connectivity.

The youth once trapped in separatism due to isolation and neglect, are now connecting with the mainstream through internet and infra, he said. “This is the stream of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ which is reaching every citizen of far-flung areas of the country. This is the sound of the confluence of Aadi and Aadhunikta (modernity), on which the soaring edifice of New India will stand,” the prime minister said.

He emphasised the efforts of the government to promote tribal arts and skill development for the tribal youth. He said the PM Vishvakarma Yojna has been introduced for traditional craftsmen where economical assistance will be provided, apart from skill development and support in marketing their products.

 “Tribal children, be they in any corner of the country, their education and their future is my priority,” said the Prime Minister. He said the number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools has gone up five times from 80 schools between 2004-2014 to 500 schools from 2014 to 2022. More than 400 schools have already started functioning, teaching about one lakh children. This year’s Budget has announced 38000 teachers and staff for these schools. Scholarships for tribal students have been doubled.

Pointing out the hardships faced by the tribal youth due to the language barrier, the Prime Minister threw light on the New Educational Policy where youth can opt to study in their mother tongues. “Our tribal children and youth studying in their own language and progressing has now become a reality,” the Prime Minister said.

The prime minister reiterated that the country is soaring to new heights because the government is prioritizing development of the deprived. He said that the path of progress opens automatically when the country gives priority to the person standing at the last rung.

He said the tribal society in the last 8-9 years was witness to the change where the country is giving priority to equality and harmony. This is the first time in 75 years of India’s Independence that the leadership of the country is in the hands of a tribal woman who is making India proud at the highest office in the form of President. He said that tribal history is getting much-deserved recognition in the country for the first time.

Underlining the contributions of the tribal society in the struggle for India’s Independence, the Prime Minister lamented the veiled attempt for decades to cover up the glorious chapters of the sacrifice and valour in the pages of history. He highlighted that the nation has finally taken the step in the Amrit Mahotsav to bring these forgotten chapters of the past to the fore.

He said “For the first time, the country has started celebrating Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda”. Recalling the opportunity to inaugurate the museum dedicated to Bhagwan Birsa Munda in Ranchi, he noted that museums related to tribal freedom fighters are coming up in various states.

“We have to protect our past, take our sense of duty to the peak in the present, and make our dreams come true for the future,” the Prime Minister remarked as he stated that events like Aadi Mahotsav are a strong medium to take this resolution forward. He emphasized that this campaign should become a mass movement and stressed organizing such events in different states.