What happened (Rajya Sabha update by Ministry of Tribal Affairs)
The Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durgadas Uikey, informed the Rajya Sabha that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs provides financial assistance to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) to preserve, document, and promote Scheduled Tribes’ culture and languages. The Ministry’s support covers tribal art forms, languages, oral traditions, and indigenous knowledge systems, with TRI-level projects implemented under approved Annual Action Plans.
Key government-supported institutional and digital components mentioned in the Rajya Sabha update are:
29 Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) supported under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs), including the Tribal Research Institute, Jharkhand.TRIs function under the administrative control of the respective State Governments/UT Administrations.TRIs implement approved Annual Action Plans with financial support from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.Funding releases to the State Government/TRI are based on approved Annual Action Plans, availability of funds, and prescribed conditions.The scheme does not release funds as a separate component exclusively for tribal cultural preservation; support is provided for research, documentation, preservation, and promotion activities under the scheme.
The Rajya Sabha update also provided an example of TRI work in Jharkhand: the Tribal Research Institute, Jharkhand undertakes activities such as documentation of tribal languages, folklore, customs, and traditional knowledge; organisation of cultural programmes; strengthening of tribal museums; and publication of research.