Mysuru: A two-day national seminar on ‘Tribal livelihood in India: Challenges and opportunities,’ organised by Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute (KSTRI), began at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) on Lalitha Mahal Road here yesterday.

Speaking after inaugurating the seminar, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, National Working President, Forum of SC&ST Legislators and Parliamentarians (FSCSTLP), said that the KSRTI was doing yeomen service in pursuing National Tribal Livelihood Mission.

Pointing out that India has the largest concentration of Tribal population, he said that the socio-economic structure in tribal communities is markedly different from that of the non-tribals or advanced groups of people.

Highlighting the need for imparting primary education to tribals, Atwal said that the seminar attempts to focus on tribal traditional occupation and employment, Tribal language, food and dress pattern, political participation, tribal education etc.

He further said that the Forum was working towards building a bridge between Tribal communities and non-tribals.

Prof. C.J. Hussain Khan, Head of the Department of Anthropology, Karnataka University, Dharwad, in his keynote address, said that there was a lack of tribal data base in the country.

Noting that tribals, also generally called as adivasis, are original inhabitants, he said that tribal communities have a very simple technology which fits well with their ecological surroundings and conservative outlook.

Dwelling on the socio-economic structure in tribal communities, Prof. Khan called upon various stakeholders like academicians, policy makers, officials, NGOs etc., to focus more on Tribal sanitation, health, education and earnings, as their economy can be said to be of subsistence type.

The seminar also featured an informative photo exhibition on Tribal life and livelihood by photo journalist Srikant Paranjape.

KSTRI Director Prof. T.T. Basavanagouda, Prof. T. Subramanyam Naidu, former Dean and Director, ICSSR & NCERT, Puducherry, KSTRI Deputy Director S. Pratibha and others were present. Over 50 academician, research scholars and students are taking part in this seminar, which concludes today.