BHUBANESWAR: "The channel, which is coming from the Centre for tribals, is stopped midway sometimes. It is our duty to ensure the channel reaches them," said President Droupadi Murmu while attending the 12th convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University at Odisha's Baripada on Saturday.
Murmu, India’s first tribal president, said tribal communities lag behind others in development parameters. "Some of the tribal groups are more backward than their other scheduled tribe (ST) communities. They are called as particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). Though we have made progress in our life, they are still there like their ancient times," she added.
She further said, “We should not leave everything to the government. We need to accept them and help them to lead their life with dignity. During my visits to different places, I interact with the tribal communities and discuss their problems with the Centre and the state governments.”
Murmu said the country has entered the phase of Amrit Kaal. "But taste of Amrit is yet to reach many people. The Centre has taken steps to help the tribals in a mission mode. But it is our duty to extend help to the government in this endeavor," she added.
She interacted with members from the particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) at the university.
She told students that while moving forward in life, when they would look back, they would find that some people of the society are not very capable of competing with them. She advised students to hold the hands of deprived ones and bring them forward. She said that a healthy society can be built through generosity and cooperation. She urged students to think not only of their own happiness and interest but also about the welfare of the society and country.
Murmu said that competition is a natural side of life, but cooperation is the beautiful side of life. One must face competition in every walk of life. She said that students should always keep trying to succeed in the competition and for that they should keep acquiring higher skills and move towards greater efficiency. They can turn the impossible into possible with their willpower.
She said the number of women students and scholars are higher than their male counterparts in this university. She expressed happiness for witnessing more girl students enrolling themselves in the higher educational institutions.
