Bhubaneswar: Ministry of Tribal Affairs Tuesday launched ‘TribeX’, a digital learning platform focused on tribal arts, culture, languages, traditional knowledge and skill development.
The platform was launched at a two-day national workshop on Strengthening Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) here, inaugurated by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram in the presence of Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey, NITI Aayog member Dr R Balasubramaniam, Odisha minister Nityananda Gond and others.
Oram said TribeX includes a digital academy offering free certificate and UGC-aligned diploma courses in tribal art forms, along with a heritage archive featuring tribal literature, oral traditions and cultural practices.
On the occasion, the ministry signed an MoU with Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, to jointly develop UGC-recognised diploma programmes under TribeX on tribal languages, traditional knowledge, arts, textiles and musicology.
The ministry also signed an MoU with KIIT Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), Bhubaneswar, to identify, incubate and mentor tribal entrepreneurs through capacity building, market linkages and access to funding, he said.
Highlighting the need to preserve tribal heritage, Oram said tribal communities possess a rich wealth of languages, dialects, oral traditions and indigenous knowledge that must be protected for future generations.
“Making systematic documentation of such dialects is an urgent national priority. Tribal Research Institutes have a crucial responsibility to engage with communities, document their languages and traditional knowledge, and share best practices across states,” minister said.
Uikey said, “TRIs must conduct research on emerging priorities such as tribal livelihoods, women’s empowerment, education, health, nutrition, climate resilience, digital inclusion and implementation of the Forest Rights Act. The true value of research lies in its ability to shape policies that bring meaningful change to tribal families.”
NITI Aayog member R Balasubramaniam said TRIs must evolve beyond conventional research bodies into policy think tanks, repositories of indigenous knowledge and centres of excellence for innovation.
“Research must capture the voices, lived experiences and traditional wisdom of tribal communities, for development is meaningful only when communities become active participants in shaping their own future,” he said.
He said, “As Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms governance, it is equally important to humanise data and keep evidence rooted in community realities.”
Odisha’s ST & SC Development Minister Gond said TRIs must evolve into centres for policy innovation, digital knowledge and interdisciplinary research, covering tribal education, nutrition, healthcare, migration, climate resilience, forest-based livelihoods and preservation of tribal languages.
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