Bhubaneswar
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs on Wednesday adopted the Bhubaneswar Declaration, unveiling a comprehensive national roadmap to transform Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) into centres of excellence for research, innovation, cultural preservation and evidence-based policymaking, marking a significant institutional reform initiative aimed at strengthening tribal development in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
The Declaration was adopted at the conclusion of the two-day National Workshop on Strengthening Tribal Research Institutes, jointly organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Government of Odisha. Nearly 200 participants, including representatives of Tribal Research Institutes, State Tribal Welfare Departments, academia, research organisations, technology institutions, industry, development partners and civil society organisations, deliberated on ways to modernise India’s tribal research ecosystem.
The Declaration positions TRIs as the principal knowledge institutions and policy think tanks of states on tribal affairs, while recognising their responsibility to preserve India’s rich tribal heritage and generate evidence that shapes development policies.
Drawing upon recommendations emerging from four thematic working groups, expert panel discussions and plenary sessions, the Bhubaneswar Declaration lays out a multi-dimensional reform agenda covering governance, research quality, technology adoption, institutional capacity, cultural preservation and community participation.
Among its key recommendations is the development of Tribal Research Institutes as specialised Centres of Excellence, supported by the revival of a Nodal TRI system under which established institutes will mentor newer institutions and help build institutional capacities across states.
The Declaration also mandates community-level need assessments so that research priorities are shaped by the actual requirements of tribal communities rather than remaining confined to academic exercises. It proposes the establishment of a TRI Innovation Network to identify, test and scale successful grassroots solutions emerging from tribal regions.
To promote accountability and improve institutional performance, the declaration recommends introducing a national Result and Ranking Framework through the National Tribal Research Portal, enabling performance-based growth and encouraging healthy competition among Tribal Research Institutes.
Recognising that research has limited value unless translated into policy and public action, the declaration calls for a Research Dissemination and Utilisation Strategy to convert technical studies into accessible policy briefs, digital dashboards and learning resources for governments, researchers and communities.
One of the most significant institutional reforms proposed is the finalisation and adoption of the Model TRI Framework 2030, which will establish common standards for governance, staffing, research quality, institutional functions and technology infrastructure. States will be encouraged to benchmark their Tribal Research Institutes against these standards and prepare time-bound institutional improvement plans.
The Declaration also proposes a National TRI Research Agenda (2027-2032) to identify common research priorities aligned with national development goals and policy needs while introducing a Research Standards Framework incorporating peer review, ethical practices and robust data management protocols.
Preservation of indigenous knowledge remains central to the roadmap. The Declaration recommends systematic documentation of tribal languages, oral traditions, music, musical instruments, cuisine, cultural practices and endangered art forms with active participation of tribal youth to ensure inter-generational transfer of knowledge.
Recognising the need for stronger human resources, it advocates measures to attract, retain and continuously train specialised researchers, domain experts and technical professionals capable of enhancing the quality and relevance of research undertaken by Tribal Research Institutes.
The roadmap further stresses the importance of expanding partnerships with universities, research institutions, technology organisations, industries and non-governmental organisations to strengthen entrepreneurship, skill development and livelihood opportunities for tribal communities through collaborative initiatives.
To avoid duplication of resources while enabling advanced research, the Declaration recommends adopting a shared-services model for Artificial Intelligence, analytics platforms, innovation hubs and digital infrastructure alongside the creation of a robust national repository of tribal data.
The workshop itself reflected these priorities through four thematic breakout sessions. Discussions focused on transforming Tribal Research Institutes into vibrant knowledge and cultural resource centres, strengthening research for evidence-based policymaking, integrating emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Geographic Information Systems into tribal research, and undertaking institutional reforms to improve governance, staffing and strategic partnerships.
On the second day, representatives of each working group presented their recommendations before experts and officials of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, following which the proposals were consolidated into the Bhubaneswar Declaration.
Summing up the deliberations, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ranjana Chopra described Tribal Research Institutes as the voices of tribal communities and said they must evolve into globally recognised centres of excellence rooted in community realities. She said the institutions require greater institutional and financial autonomy while working more closely with state governments, universities, multilateral agencies and other knowledge institutions to bridge the gap between research, policymaking and tribal communities.
Throughout the workshop, participants emphasised strengthening governance structures, expanding institutional capacities, improving research quality, adopting standard methodologies and enhancing knowledge sharing across states so that Tribal Research Institutes can emerge as repositories of indigenous knowledge while generating timely policy inputs for tribal development programmes.
The Ministry also recognised excellence within the TRI ecosystem by presenting Certificates of Appreciation to seven best-performing institutions for their contributions to research, documentation, knowledge generation and preservation of tribal cultural heritage. The recognised institutes were the Tribal Research and Training Institute, Chhattisgarh; Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute, Odisha; Tribal Research and Cultural Institute, Tripura; Tribal Research & Training Institute, Maharashtra; Kerala Institute for Research, Training & Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (KIRTADS); Tribal Cultural Research and Training Institute, Telangana; and Dr Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute, Jharkhand.
In his concluding remarks, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Anant Prakash Pandey said the workshop had produced rich deliberations and a shared commitment to strengthening Tribal Research Institutes. He said the recommendations and the Bhubaneswar Declaration provide a clear roadmap for enhancing institutional capacities, promoting research excellence, embracing technology and fostering greater collaboration, adding that the Ministry would work with states and all stakeholders to translate the recommendations into meaningful outcomes for tribal development.
With the adoption of the Bhubaneswar Declaration, the Ministry has, for the first time, articulated a coordinated national framework to modernise Tribal Research Institutes as future-ready knowledge institutions that preserve indigenous heritage while generating research capable of shaping evidence-based policies for the socio-economic advancement of India’s tribal communities.
