New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS): Union Tribal Welfare Minister Arjun Munda will inaugurate the Aadi Mahotsav in Ladakh on August 17. Aadi Mahotsav is an annual national tribal festival which will go on from August 17 to 25 and will be held at the Polo Ground in Leh.

Also present at the festival will be Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and Jamyang Tsering Namyal, the 34-year-old MP from Ladakh who shot to fame overnight after his passionate speech in Parliament on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the creation of a separate Union Territory of Ladakh.

The festival is an initiative by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) to scale up the livelihood and income-generating opportunities for tribal groups by allowing them to interact and sell their goods directly to customers.

The festival was held last year in the national capital and saw the participation of over 600 tribal artisans from 23 states, 80 tribal chiefs hailing from 20 states, besides 14 cultural troupes comprising of more than 200 artists.

Last week, the Centre had revoked special status to Jammu and Kashmir accorded under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.