Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram said that sustainable and inclusive development in tribal areas must be rooted in community engagement, empathetic governance, and a shift from tokenism to transformation. He emphasized that Adi Karmyogi marks a strategic move toward creating a governance ecosystem that listens, responds, and uplifts. Reaffirming his ministry’s commitment on the overall development of tribal communities he said that tribal development initiatives are implemented not just for the people, but with the people, making every stakeholder a true karmayogi of change.

Participating at the concluding session of the two days conference of Ministry of Tribal Affairs the Union Minister lunched the Ministry’s flagship programme – Adi Karmyogi Beta version – aimed at building a cadre of highly motivated officers and change makers dedicated to grassroots transformation. The programme seeks to bring a fundamental shift in the attitude and motivation of field-level officials, emphasizing citizen-centric ideation and delivery. Addressing the gathering Union Minster Shri Oram said it aims at achieving the target of reaching 1 lakh tribal villages and habitations, Adi Karmyogi will enable capacity building of nearly 20 lakh stakeholders through a robust framework of more than 180 State Master Trainers, 3,000 District Trainers, and 15,000 Block Trainers.

Addressing the conference Shri Vibhu Nayar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, emphasized the importance of changing the mindset of government functionaries to instill a sense of purpose and ownership. He called for multi-departmental coordination, grassroots participation, and internal emergence of mentors within the system to sustain transformative practices.

The conference included multiple thematic sessions, including a special session on creating a startup ecosystem for tribal entrepreneurs, which discussed innovative approaches to enable entrepreneurship in tribal areas.

A dedicated discussion was also held on enhancing the scope of the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), aimed at integrating services more comprehensively and reaching the last mile more effectively.

Officials deliberated on strengthening the Tribal Research Institutes (TRI) Scheme, emphasizing their role as think tanks and implementation support arms of the Ministry.

Another critical session focused on improving health outcomes among tribal communities, with special attention to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The discussions revolved around scaling up diagnosis, treatment, and awareness initiatives under the National Mission to Eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Review of Flagship Schemes and Screening of Impact Film on Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan Progress

The progress of major tribal welfare schemes, PM JANMAN and DAJGUA, was reviewed, with States advised to conduct activities in a time-bound and structured manner. Importance was reiterated on the comprehensive implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

A powerful segment of the event featured the screening of short films on the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Campaign – hailed as India’s largest tribal empowerment campaign. The films showcased impressive achievements during the last 11 days, including:

These outcomes span across 31 States/UTs, 501 districts, and over 2,390 blocks, demonstrating the scale and impact of the campaign.

Way Forward: Building an Institutional Culture of Responsive Governance

As part of forward planning, participants shared suggestions for formulating new schemes or modifying existing ones, with an emphasis on rationalization and community-centric design. States stressed that changes must reflect the lived realities and aspirations of tribal communities to ensure meaningful outcomes.

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The Ministry of Tribal Affairs successfully organized a two-day National Conference titled “Adi Anveshan” on 26th and 27th June 2025, at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.

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RN/PIB

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