Need to learn about forest conservation from tribals amid climate change and global warming challenges: President Murmu

Addressing a Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme in Madhya Pradeshs Shahdol district, the President said tribal communities had participated in Indias freedom struggle wherein different ideologies and activities played an important role.

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday underlined the need to learn from tribals on the conservation of forests given the major challenges being posed by issues like climate change and global warming. Addressing a 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' programme in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, the President said tribal communities had participated in India's freedom struggle wherein different ideologies and activities played an important role. The Narendra Modi government had last year declared November 15 as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' to mark the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda and remember the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

''Today, issues of climate change and global warming have posed a major challenge to the world. There is a need to learn from the tribal lifestyle and their determination for conserving forests,'' President Murmu said while addressing the event in Lalpur village. She recalled the struggle of tribal society in conserving and protecting forest areas during British rule and added they have also sacrificed their lives for this cause. ''Most of the tribal areas have been rich in forest and mineral wealth. Our tribal brothers and sisters live a life based on nature and protect nature with respect. They had fought fiercely during the British rule to protect this natural wealth from exploitation,” she said.

The President said the conservation of the forest wealth was, to a large extent, possible due to their (tribals') sacrifices.

Murmu, who became the first tribal President of the country in July this year, said tribal society gives equal importance to human beings and vegetation.

''In the tribal society, groups are given importance rather than individuals. Cooperative (living) is preferred instead of competition and equality over speciality,'' she said, adding the tribal society has a better gender ratio compared to other communities. The President said the spirit of sacrificing everything in the interest of justice has been the speciality of the tribal society. ''In our freedom struggle, different ideologies and activities have played an important role. The history of freedom struggle also includes several streams of struggles by tribal communities,'' she added.

The President recalled former Prime Minister (late) Atal Bihari Vajpayee had constituted a separate ministry (for tribals)- Janjatiya Karya Mantralaya, which she said played a major role in the development of tribal areas in the country. She also praised tribal communities for their natural lifestyle, saying it helped in protecting and conserving forests and also nature's wealth.

The President said she was happy to get the opportunity to pay respect to the statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda at his village Ulihatu in Jharkhand. Visiting places associated with his birth and work is like visiting any other holy place for me, she added. The President expressed happiness over the Central and state governments taking several steps for the development of tribal communities in the past few years. ''The holistic development of the nation and development of tribal communities are interlinked. Therefore, efforts are being made to maintain the identity of tribal communities, to increase the sense of self-pride among them and at the same time benefit from the fruits of development. Development of tribal areas in the spirit of harmony is beneficial for all,'' she added.

The President praised the Madhya Pradesh government for implementing the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act on the occasion.

The PESA Act 1996 was formulated to prevent the exploitation of the tribal population with the active involvement of gram sabhas. It gives special power to gram sabhas in scheduled areas, especially for the management of natural resources. Union ministers Arjun Munda and Faggan Singh Kulaste, Madhya Pradesh governor Mangu Bhai Patel and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also addressed the audience. Chouhan highlighted the salient features of the PESA Act for the welfare of the tribal communities such as mandatory permission from the gram sabha for opening a wine shop and intimating the village body in case any FIR is filed against a tribal person. The President is on a two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh during which she will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour at the Raj Bhawan in Bhopal and virtually lay the foundation stones for projects of the Union ministries of Defence, Road Transport and Highways, an official had said. She will address a conference of women's self-help groups (SHGs) in Bhopal on Wednesday before returning to New Delhi, the official added.