MoTA Hosts ‘Adi Shapath’ Delhi Chapter to Boost Tribal Welfare Partnerships

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) organized the Delhi Chapter of the ‘Adi Shapath’ today—a dynamic half-day stakeholder engagement session aimed at accelerating the welfare and empowerment of India’s tribal communities. Held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, the event brought together more than 20 key partners from across the public, private, philanthropic, and developmental sectors to foster collaborative models of development for tribal upliftment.

This edition of Adi Shapath was part of MoTA’s outreach initiative under the banner of Janbhagidari (public participation), aiming to channelize collective efforts and investments into tribal regions through strategic partnerships with CSR donors, volunteer groups, multilateral and bilateral agencies, and philanthropic organizations.

Strengthening Public-Private Collaboration in Tribal Areas

The interactive session featured presentations and discussions centered around ongoing tribal development projects being implemented by various stakeholders. These include interventions in education, health, livelihood generation, and cultural heritage preservation, with many participants expressing their intent to scale their initiatives nationally in partnership with MoTA.

A recurring theme in the dialogue was the necessity of a centralized national platform. Such a platform would serve to showcase successful interventions, streamline funding and support mechanisms, and provide real-time visibility into potential areas for further engagement. Participants endorsed the idea, noting it would boost transparency, synergy, and replicability of impactful models across states.

Key Sectors Identified for Enhanced Impact

The session identified four critical sectors as central to tribal empowerment:

• Health: Improving access to primary and specialized healthcare in remote tribal belts.

• Education: Enhancing learning outcomes through digital and infrastructural support.

• Livelihoods: Promoting entrepreneurship, vocational training, and sustainable income-generation models.

• Cultural Preservation: Reviving and conserving indigenous art, language, and heritage.

The discussion underscored the intersectionality of these themes, recognizing that a holistic, integrated approach is crucial to delivering sustainable outcomes for tribal communities.

Leading Organizations Express Commitment

Representatives from leading organizations, including Oil India, HUDCO, GAIL, Tata Trusts, the Gates Foundation, American India Foundation, HCL Technologies, and Bharti Airtel, shared insights on their current tribal outreach programs. Several participants conveyed strong interest in deepening collaboration with MoTA, particularly to align CSR strategies with tribal aspirations and grassroots needs.

The attendees praised the Ministry’s proactive facilitation of stakeholder dialogue and stressed the need for continuous engagement and feedback loops to keep projects adaptive and contextually relevant.

Leadership Participation and Vision

The session was attended by senior ministry officials, including:

• Shri T. Roumuan Paite, Joint Secretary, MoTA and CMD, National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

• Shri Anant Prakash Pandey, Joint Secretary, MoTA

Their presence signaled the Ministry’s strong commitment to institutionalizing multi-stakeholder participation, and ensuring that development efforts are both community-centric and evidence-based.

Way Forward

As part of the concluding remarks, MoTA officials emphasized the importance of building on the momentum generated by this outreach. They proposed the development of a national coordination framework that would map tribal needs with partner capabilities, and facilitate region-specific interventions through decentralized planning.

With the success of the Delhi chapter, the Ministry is expected to organize similar sessions across other Indian cities, further embedding Janbhagidari into the national development discourse. The Adi Shapath initiative stands as a testament to the Government’s vision of inclusive, participatory development—where every stakeholder plays a meaningful role in shaping a better future for tribal India.