Need to preserve cultural identity of ST community — President Murmu

KHUNTI — President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Jharkhand, on Thursday said there is a need to preserve the cultural identity of the Scheduled Tribe community.

The tribal society presents ideal examples in many fields, and “one of these is the non-prevalence of the dowry system”, she said.

Murmu urged tribal women to come forward and reap the benefits of government schemes.

“Come forward and take the benefits of government schemes which are run for your welfare. Tribal women of Jharkhand are ahead of those in other states when it comes to women empowerment,” Murmu said, while addressing self-help groups at an event in Khunti.

The President stressed on the need for preserving the distinct cultural identity of tribals and said their society is “free of evil practices such as dowry”.

“There is a need to preserve the cultural identity of the Scheduled Tribe community,” Murmu said.

She pointed out that many people in society, even the well-educated ones, have not been able to give up the dowry system to date.

Jharkhand tribal women have shown “exemplary performance in sports”, she said, adding that women in the state are also contributing to the economic growth.

“Hardworking sisters and daughters of Jharkhand are capable of making a significant contribution to the economy of the state as well as the economic development of the country,” she said.

Murmu urged them to recognise their talent and move ahead with confidence.

The President said that the power of women provides energy to the rural economy of the state.

“Therefore, it is very important to connect more and more women with self-help groups in Jharkhand and provide employment through skill development,” she said.

The President interacted with women members of self-help groups in Khunti, the birthplace of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

The programme – Mahila SHGs Sammelan – was organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation.

Around 25,000 tribal women participated in the programme at the Birsa Munda College stadium here.

She expressed confidence that through this conference, women would be more aware of their rights and various schemes run by the government for their interests.

During the programme, Murmu also visited stalls showcasing diverse tribal crafts, and live demonstrations of tribal arts were also organised there.

Various tribal products were displayed in 20 stalls for which several suppliers and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras of Jharkhand and Bihar had been invited to participate in the exhibition.

Being a woman or being born in a tribal society is not a disadvantage, she said.

“There are countless examples of women’s contribution in the country and they have made invaluable contributions to social reforms, politics, economy, education, science and research, business, sports and military forces and many other fields,” she said.

To become successful in any field, it is very important that they recognise their talent and do not judge themselves on the scale of others, Murmu said.

According to her, both the social and economic aspects of women’s empowerment are equally important.

Later in the day, the President will attend the second convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Ranchi.

Murmu on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Baba Baidyanath temple in Deoghar district.

She also inaugurated the new building of the Jharkhand High Court in Ranchi, built at a cost of around INR 550 crore.