Tribal communities' active participation crucial for country's development: President Murmu

Addressing the convocation ceremony of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhilai, in Chhattisgarh, Ms Murmu said that the tribal communities understand nature closely and have been living in harmony with the environment for centuries.

The tribal culture is a storehouse of knowledge accumulated through natural lifestyle.

By understanding the tribals and learning from their lifestyle, we can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of India.

But, the inclusive development of the country is possible only with the active participation of our tribal brothers and sisters, she said and appreciated IIT Bhilai for making special efforts in the technical field for the progress of the tribal society.

She expressed happiness over IIT Bhilai focusing on agri-tech, health-tech and fin-tech.

The IIT Bhilai has collaborated with AIIMS, Raipur, in the healthcare sector to create mobile apps that help villagers get medical help at home.

The institute has also collaborated with Indira Gandhi Agriculture University in Raipur to create tech solutions for farmers that help them guide and utilize their resources properly.

She also noted that the institute is working for the development of tribal communities by doing studies on forest produce such as ‘mahua’.

Later gracing the seventh foundation day of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) here, she said that ayurveda is one of the oldest medical systems in the world.

Ayurveda emphasizes holistic health management while maintaining a balance between mind, body and spirit, she said.

India has a rich traditional knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants. But, as society embraced modernity and moved away from nature, we stopped using the traditional knowledge.

It became easier to get medicines from a doctor than adopt home remedies. But, now awareness among the people on the ayurveda is increasing.

“Today, the idea of an integrative system of medicine is becoming popular all over the world. Different medical systems are helping to provide healthcare to people as complimentary systems to each other”, she said.