New Delhi
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday inaugurated the nine-day Aadi Mahotsav 2024, the national tribal festival, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that technology – an important contribution of the modern era – has made our lives easier.
“It is not right that our tribal community be deprived of the benefits of modern development. Their contribution has played an important role in the overall development of the country and will continue to play an important role in the future also. It should be the endeavour of all of us to use technology for sustainable development and all-round development of all the people of the society, especially the deprived sections,” the President said.
She also said that as modernity progressed, it has caused a lot of damage to Mother Earth and nature.
“In the mad race for development, an atmosphere was created to give credence to the belief that progress is not possible without harming nature. Whereas the truth is the opposite.
“Tribal communities all over the world have been living in harmony with nature for centuries. Our tribal brothers and sisters have been taking care of the surrounding environment, trees, plants and animals in every aspect of their lives. We can take inspiration from their lifestyle. Today, when the whole world is trying to solve the problem of global warming and climate change, the lifestyle of the tribal community becomes even more exemplary,” the President outlined.
President Murmu expressed confidence that the festival, organised by TRIFED from February 10-18, will give people an opportunity to know and understand many aspects of the life of the tribal society. This year, the Mahotsav has more than 300 stalls and 1000 artisans are participating in it.
She maintained that Aadi Mahotsav is a good opportunity to get acquainted with the lifestyle, music, art and cuisine of the tribal brothers and sisters from every corner of the country.
Stressing the need for preserving traditional knowledge, the President said, “Just as many flora and fauna are becoming extinct, traditional knowledge is also disappearing from our collective memory. Our effort should be to accumulate this invaluable fund and also use it properly as per today’s need. Technology can play an important role in this effort also.”
The President appreciated the launch of the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes (VCF-ST). She expressed confidence that this will promote entrepreneurship and start-up culture among the people of ST community. She urged the youth of the tribal community to take advantage of this scheme and establish new enterprises and contribute to building of a self-reliant India.
The Aadi Mahotsav is being organized by TRIFED under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with aim to showcase the rich diversity of India’s tribal heritage. This year this festival is being organized from February 10 to 18, 2024.
On the occasion, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda launched the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes (VCF-ST). The President appreciated the initiative and expressed confidence that this will promote entrepreneurship and start-up culture among the people of ST community. She urged the youth of the tribal community to take advantage of this scheme and establish new enterprises and contribute to building of a self-reliant India.
For his part, Munda said that the tribal tradition, sanskriti and pride is represented through Aadi Mahotsav. “In India, there are more than 11 crore tribal population and this celebration is a light of hope and respect for tribals. The Prime Minister through his own vision made ‘Sankalp’ reach ‘Sidhi’ through PM JANMAN with the focus on education, health and employment as the goal towards development.,” Munda pointed out.
He also said that in the rural sector, there is a growing focus on entrepreneurship-led development where we are starting a new venture capital fund. He informed that today PVTG products are being exported to Hungary, Ghana, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Bangladesh, Nepal, Austria, Vietnam, Mauritius, Poland and UAE promoted through Indian embassies.
WHAT IS THE VENTURE CAPITAL FUND FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES (VCF-ST)?
- Announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23, the Fund is a SEBI registered Venture Capital initiative that will be managed by IFCI Venture, a subsidiary of IFCI Ltd., a Government of India Undertaking
- The two investors in the Scheme are the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)
- The Scheme will promote entrepreneurship amongst tribals by providing financial assistance of Rs.10 lakh to Rs.5 crore to companies promoted by Scheduled Tribes in manufacturing, services and allied sectors, including start-ups and units being incubated in the technology business incubators, ensuring asset creation out of the funds deployed in the unit/project at a concessional Rate of 4% p.a. (For ST women /ST disabled entrepreneurs @ 3.75% p.a.)
- Interested applicants can visit www.vcfst.in for further information and may also visit the Stall of IFCI Venture Capital Funds Limited for Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes (VCF-ST) Scheme during the Event
