Integrate tribals into mainstream of development: RSS chief

Bhagwat was speaking at the ‘Karmayogi Ekal Shikshak Melava’ at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, where teachers working to expand education in tribal areas were felicitated

MUMBAI: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said he regretted Hindu society’s “ignorance” towards tribals as it paved the way for invaders to enter tribal society. He said India needs to ensure the integration of tribals into the mainstream of development as they preserve India’s centuries-old “sanatan tradition”.

Integrate tribals into mainstream of development: RSS chief

Bhagwat was speaking at the ‘Karmayogi Ekal Shikshak Melava’ at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, where teachers working to expand education in tribal areas were felicitated. Bhagwat also felicitated Dattatray Ware for transforming a zilla parishad school and bringing it global recognition; the Vasundhara Sanjeevani Mandal in Thane for water conservation in rural areas; and the Deendayal Prabodhini for empowerment work in rural areas.

“India’s real mainstream lies in tribal areas. Our cultural roots lie in the forests and agrarian areas, where the Vedas were written. We must learn from them. So we need to bring them in to the mainstream of development. Without bringing them into the mainstream, holistic societal development is not possible,” said Bhagwat.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, present at the event, mentioned the Nagpur-based Late Laxmanrao Mankar Smruti Sanstha, which runs Eklavya Ekal schools in Vidarbha. “Without any government funding, around 1,400 teachers are educating nearly 32,000 students in tribal areas of Vidarbha. Now RSS leadership has ordered us to expand it. It will now reach 1 lakh students with 5,000 teachers across Maharashtra,” said Gadkari.