New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS): President Droupadi Murmu said on Sunday that our country will progress in the true sense only when the tribal society progresses.

Speaking at the inauguration of the National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ in Delhi, the President said during the last 10 years, many effective steps have been taken for the overall development of the tribal society.

“The Tribal Development Budget has increased five times to about one lakh twenty-five thousand crore rupees. Apart from this, the Tribal Welfare Budget Allocation has increased three times to about Rs 15,000 crore, she said.

"Under the PM Janman Abhiyan, efforts are being made to benefit around 28 lakh people from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) community,” she said.

“To expand the success of the PM Janman Abhiyan on a larger scale and to ensure that over five crore people from Janjatiya communities benefit from government initiatives, the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan was launched on Gandhi Jayanti last year," she said.

The President said that the crafts, food, dress and jewellery, medical practices, household equipment, and sports of the tribal society are the precious heritage of our country.

At the same time, they are also modern and scientific because they show a natural harmony with nature and the ideals of a sustainable lifestyle, she said.

She said along with increasing the sense of pride toward tribal identity, multi-dimensional efforts were being made to develop the tribal society at a fast pace.

The President expressed happiness that a lot of progress was being made towards the economic empowerment and employment of the tribal society.

Highlighting education initiatives for the tribals, she said: "It is a matter of happiness that about 1.25 lakh tribal children are getting school education through more than 470 Eklavya Model Residential Schools in the country."

She said in the last 10 years, 30 new medical colleges have been started in tribal-dominated areas.

The President said a national mission has been launched to solve a specific problem related to the health of the tribal society. Under this mission, the target has been set to eradicate sickle cell anaemia by the year 2047.

Aadi Mahotsav is being organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs from February 16 to 24, 2025, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Delhi. This festival aims to provide a glimpse into the rich and diverse traditional culture of the tribal communities of our country.