Tribal leaders motivated to work for sustainable development

New Delhi: A national conference on tribal people of India heard Church leaders and social scientists stressing the need for unity and network among the indigenous people of the country.

As many as 38 people heading the department of tribal affairs in different dioceses in India attended the October 30-31 conference organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). Its theme was “Tribals Towards Unity, Equity and Sustainable Development with Human Rights Approaches.”

The meet aimed to educate the participants on the initiatives planned by the CBCI Office for Tribal Affairs.

CBCI Secretary General Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, who spoke on “Re-building the tribals: Challenge of the Indian Church” highlighted several problems the tribal community faces in the country.

The prelate, who is also the auxiliary bishop of Ranchi archdiocese, invited the participants to introspect where the tribal community and the tribal Church are leading their people. ‘The existence of the tribal community is at stake and it is a time we woke up from our sleep,” he asserted.,

Bishop Mascarenhas also called on the clergy, religious and laity to become aware of the rights of tribals and other human rights. Most importantly he challenged all the participants to have passion for the cause of tribals.

Panelists comprising Caritas executive director Father Fredrick D’Souza, secretary of the CBCI Office for Education Father Joseph Manipadam, secretary of CBCI Office for Schedule Caste and Backward Castes and Supreme Court lawyer M.P. Raju helped the participants understand the nuanced interplay of power, politics and economic forces that push the tribals to the periphery.

Virginius Xaxa, head of the Department of Sociology, Tezpur University, Assam, challenged the participants with her session on the socio-cultural analysis of the tribal situation in India.

Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi spoke on the complexities involved with the pastoral care of the migrant and domestic adivasi workers in Delhi and other cities.

Jesuit Father Satya Prakash Tigga and veteran journalist John Dayal guided them in framing concrete action plans for tribal development and empowerment in various dioceses. The plan calls for close network with various dioceses, zones and states under the aegis of the Secretariat CBCI Office for Tribal Affairs.