Interview with Dr. M.S. Swaminathan
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, National Commission on Farmers, and Chairman of the national committee set up to review the implementation of the Coastal Zone Regulation Act, spoke to Asha Krishnakmar on the various aspects of rehabilitation and restoration.
Excerpts from the interview
What is your assessment of the relief efforts for the tsunami-affected?
The immediate phase of surprise and shock is over. The damage was handled with an enormous magnitude of relief operations. Thanks to modern information and communications technology – television, newspapers and so on – people from all walks of life rushed to provide help. One cannot compensate for lost lives, but property and livelihood loss can be restored to a considerable extent. […]“At Killai, a small village near Pichavaram, about 98 km north of Nagappattinam. The mangroves in the Pichavaram wetland stood as a solid buffer, saving the Irula tribe and about a dozen fishing hamlets from the tsunami.”
Source: Towards sustainable rehabilitation
Frontline: India’s National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU
Volume 22 – Issue 04, Feb. 12 – 25, 2005
Address : <http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2204/stories/20050225002504000.htm>
Date Visited: Thu Jul 07 2011 13:13:18 GMT+0200 (CEST)
[Bold typeface added above for emphasis]
Photo credit: M. Karunakaran © The Hindu >>
Learn more about the Irula community & Snake >>
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What does it mean to be Indigenous?
Indigenous Peoples can be identified according to certain characteristics:
They are politically and socially marginalized.
Most importantly, they self-identify as Indigenous Peoples.
They share an ancestral link with those who inhabited a country or region before they were colonized or before other peoples became dominant.
They have a strong link to particular territories and the surrounding natural resources.
They have distinct social, economic or political systems, which they are resolved to maintain and reproduce.
They have a distinct language, culture and beliefs.
There are more than 5,000 different Indigenous Peoples around the world comprising 476 million people – around 6.2% of the global population. They are spread across more than 90 countries in every region and speak more than 4,000 languages. | Learn more (Amnesty International) >>
Source: “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS” by Amnesty International
URL: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/indigenous-peoples/
Date Visited: 10 May 2025
Learn more on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, their Languages & linguistic heritage & Tribal culture worldwide >>
Learn more
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Biodiversity | Hyderabad biodiversity pledge | Nilgiri Biosphere
Climate change | Audio | The Climate Question (BBC Podcast)
eJournals & eBooks | Background guide for education
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Health and nutrition | Recommendations by the Expert Committee
“The tribal food basket has always been diverse and nutritious”
United Nations on climate change
What is the Forest Rights Act about?
Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights?
Explore India’s tribal cultural heritage with the help of another interactive map >>