Govt focus on integrating new technology into tribal welfare: Arjun Munda

New Delhi: The government will focus on leveraging new technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning for tribal welfare going ahead, Union Minister Arjun Munda said on Friday.

The BJP government has given an opportunity to tribals to protect their culture and identity and acknowledged the contribution of tribal revolutionaries to the making of India, he said while briefing the media about the achievements in 10 years of the Narendra Modi dispensation.

"We have traversed 75 years of independence but it is the first time we got a President from a tribal community. No one except the Narendra Modi government can do this," he said.

The minister said the government has prepared a roadmap for tribal welfare in the country going forward.

"No one is detached from artificial intelligence and digital technology. We have decided to integrate new technology into tribal welfare," the minister said.

"When we are moving forward for a Viksit Bharat, it is important that tribals are not left behind," he said.

Munda said India aims to be a leader in semiconductor technology.

In view of this, the government will provide training to tribal students in semiconductor technology in collaboration with the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science, he said.

In partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the tribal affairs ministry also plans to use satellite-based technology on a pilot basis to improve mobile and internet connectivity in remote tribal villages.

The ministry has signed pacts for a partnership with AIIMS-Delhi to establish the "Bhagwan Birsa Munda Chair on Tribal Health and Haematology" at the renowned health institute.

It will serve as a multi-disciplinary platform for conducting advanced research on tribal health issues with special emphasis on sickle cell anaemia, the minister said.

AIIMS will organise training programmes for doctors and paramedical staff working in tribal areas, the minister said.

According to Munda, the government will develop a system for doorstep delivery of medicines to tribal households, he said.

The ministry is also collaborating with IIT-Delhi and IIM-Calcutta to develop a countrywide entrepreneurship ecosystem for the tribal youth.

This partnership aims to create a sustainable social impact through tribal enterprises and startups and raise awareness about entrepreneurship among tribal communities.

Munda said 100 more Eklavya model residential schools will start operating in the country to provide quality education to tribal students.

He said the ministry saw a three-fold increase in its budget under the Modi government.

The number of EMRS schools and budget allocation for this purpose has increased manifold, he said.