Bhubaneswar: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs on Tuesday launched TribeX, a digital learning platform dedicated to preserving India’s tribal heritage, while unveiling a broader roadmap to transform Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) into centres of research, innovation and policy support.
The initiative was announced at a two-day National Workshop on Strengthening Tribal Research Institutes, organised in Bhubaneswar in collaboration with the Odisha government. The workshop brought together nearly 200 participants, including representatives from TRIs, state tribal welfare departments, academia, research institutions, technology organisations, industry and civil society.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram inaugurated the workshop in the presence of Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey, NITI Aayog Member Dr R. Balasubramaniam, Odisha ST & SC Development Minister Nityananda Gond, Tribal Affairs Secretary Ranjana Chopra and senior Central and state government officials.
A major highlight of the inaugural session was the launch of TribeX, which aims to preserve and promote India’s tribal arts, languages, culture, and traditional knowledge. The platform features a Digital Academy offering free certificate and UGC-aligned diploma courses, along with a Heritage Archive documenting tribal literature, oral traditions and cultural practices.
The ministry also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, to jointly develop UGC-recognised diploma programmes under TribeX covering tribal languages, traditional knowledge, arts, textiles and museology.
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.
Addressing the gathering, Oram said India’s tribal communities possess a rich legacy of languages, oral traditions and indigenous knowledge that must be preserved for future generations.
He stressed that many tribal dialects remain undocumented and said Tribal Research Institutes should work closely with communities to record their languages, document traditional knowledge, and share best practices across states.
Uikey said tribal development has become central to the country’s vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said TRIs should expand research into tribal livelihoods, women’s empowerment, education, healthcare, nutrition, climate resilience, digital inclusion, and the implementation of the Forest Rights Act so that research directly contributes to policymaking.
Balasubramaniam said Tribal Research Institutes should evolve beyond conventional research institutions into policy think tanks and centres of excellence. He emphasised that research must reflect the lived experiences of tribal communities and noted that while Artificial Intelligence can strengthen governance, policymaking must remain rooted in community realities.
Welcoming delegates, Gond said TRIs should adopt digital documentation, GIS mapping and AI-enabled analytics while promoting interdisciplinary research on education, healthcare, nutrition, migration, climate resilience, forest-based livelihoods and tribal languages.
Secretary Ranjana Chopra said Tribal Research Institutes play a unique role in preserving tribal heritage and generating evidence for policymaking, but many continue to face challenges related to human resources, institutional capacity and domain expertise. She said the workshop would help formulate a roadmap for transforming TRIs into vibrant knowledge and policy institutions.
The first day of the workshop featured presentations by Tribal Research Institutes from across the country on their achievements, best practices, and institutional challenges. Participants also joined four thematic breakout sessions covering cultural resource centres, research and documentation, technology integration, and institutional strengthening.
The recommendations emerging from the discussions will be consolidated on the second day before the adoption of the Bhubaneswar Declaration, which will outline a shared national roadmap for strengthening Tribal Research Institutes and advancing inclusive tribal development across India.
