Geneva: India highlighted its approach to inclusive tribal development at the Annual Panel on Indigenous Peoples at the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Wednesday, with an Indian NGO representative pointing to efforts that link development with dignity, identity, and community participation.
Addressing the Council, Arushi Lal Santania, Representative of the Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan (RSKS India), illustrated the transformation through the changing life of a tribal girl in a remote Indian village, saying a generation once separated from essential services was increasingly gaining access to residential education, healthcare, infrastructure and stronger participation in local development.
“India’s experience shows that development can reach remote communities while respecting the identity, knowledge and cultural heritage that make those communities unique,” Santania said.
She highlighted Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyaan (PM-JANMAN) as an important example of India’s focused approach, noting that the mission is designed to improve the socio-economic conditions of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) communities across 18 states and one Union Territory through interventions covering housing, drinking water, education, healthcare, road and telecom connectivity, electrification and sustainable livelihoods.
Santania also highlighted India’s expanding Eklavya Model Residential School network, saying official data records 518 functional schools with more than 170,000 enrolled Scheduled Tribe students, including more than 86,000 girls.
She further highlighted India’s framework of community-based governance through Gram Sabhas and the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, which provides an institutional foundation for participation in Scheduled Areas.
Against a global backdrop of more than 476 million Indigenous people across 90 countries, she emphasised that Indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions remain invaluable assets for sustainable development and humanity’s shared heritage.
Concluding her address, Santania urged governments, international institutions and heritage bodies to deepen meaningful community participation in conservation, management and benefit-sharing, adding that development should expand opportunity without weakening identity.
The Rs 24,104 crore Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) programme targets the PVTGs, among India’s most isolated communities. Many live without pucca housing, clean drinking water, electricity, or road access.
The government launched PM JANMAN in November 2023 to fill these gaps through a coordinated effort of all concerned ministries.
(IANS)
