NCST to organise “National Seminar on Conservation of Particularly Vulnerable Tribes of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is organizing a National Seminar on “Conservation of Particularly Vulnerable Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The Way Forward” on 27th and 28th June, 2018 at Kamaladevi Multipurpose Hall, India International Centre, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi. About 44 Ministries/Departments have been invited by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to present their strategies and approach towards PVTGs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This Seminar is being organized in collaboration with Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) and Directors of 18 Tribal Research Institutes in different States have also been invited to deliberate on critical issues of tribal groups who are at the verge of extinction. Vice Chancellors of six Universities including Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak will provide academic inputs on PVTGs. Domain experts, NGO and Civil Society representatives will provide their perspective so that a holistic view is taken on way forward.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to the most primitive tribal groups: Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompens. Some of these tribal groups are on the verge of extinction. It is important to understand the challenges they face and to preserve them. With these objectives in view, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), a Constitutional body set up under Article 338(A) of the Constitution to protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes, is organizing for the first time a two-day Seminar.
Exclusive Thematic Sessions will be held on the Sentinelese, Great Andamanies, Onge, Jarawa, Shompen. The deliberations will take stock of the impact of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation 1956 as amended in 2005 and 2012 along with 2004 Policy on Jarawa Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar. Similarly, the 2015 Policy on Shompen of Great Nicobar Islands will also be discussed in the Seminar. The entire architect of welfare approach by the Government will be analysed in the seminar for a road map for PVTGs in Andaman, which will be a role model for PVTGs in other States.