Tribal communities are entitled to being involved in a dialogue on eye-level rather than being told how to manage their affairs: Adivasis have a proud History of their own. Wherever their traditional way of life remains feasible, they avoid dependance on charity.
India’s representative at the 2007 United Nations General Assembly affirmed his government’s commitment promotion and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights:
AJAI MALHOTRA (India) said his country had consistently favoured the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights [and affirmed] their right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as means and ways for financing their autonomous functions.
Addressing Misconceptions is bound to accelerate the implementation of policies designed to alleviate Rural poverty. For this to happen, the aspirations of tribal youths must be taken into account in all domains of public life.
Accountability is a key issue for any organization fostering India’s tribal Cultural heritage: ensuring that it will flourish in the world’s largest Democracy. As a case in point, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh called for a change in the mental attitude towards adivasis and forest-dwellers at a function in Gadchiroli district (Maharashtra) in 2011:
About 25 crore [250 million] people live off the forests, we cannot keep them out. […] The adivasi is not the enemy of the forests.
“We have a special responsibility to document, monitor and conserve our most precious asset” – Kamaljit S. Bawa in “Our biodiversity, our life, our future” >>
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