Workshop on tribals held in Mysuru

An analysis of the parameters set by Lokuru Committee to identify tribal communities in the country paints a sad picture on the condition of tribals, said Hussein Khan, professor of Anthropology, Karnatak University, here, on Monday.

He was speaking at a workshop on ‘Economic Empowerment of Tribals: Problems and Challenges in Karnataka’, organised by Karnataka Tribal Research Institute at the Central Institute of Indian Languages.

Parameters
The parameters used by the committee is erroneous and cannot be used to comprehensively assess the condition of tribals, he said.

 The Central government should come up with different parameters to assess tribals as assessment based on the parameters of Lokur Committee is a mistake.

Injustice
Due to the faulty parameters, tribal communities, who have been discriminated against for generations are meted injustice, he said.

Since 20 years, several reports on the status of tribal communities have been submitted to the Registrar and Census General of India.

However, none of them have been reviewed, so that the Centre can grant Schedule Tribe tag to the communities, he said.

Training
Director of the Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute T T Basavangowda said, the State government has set aside Rs 4,000 crore for the development of tribal communities this year.

He said, the institute will send persons from Siddi, Medara and Koraga communities to Wayanad in Kerala to be trained in creating bamboo artefacts.
He said, special training has also been provided to Maths, Science and English teachers of 116 tribal schools in the State, he said.