The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Durgadas Uikey, today informed the Lok Sabha that no new tribal museum has been established in Odisha under the ‘Support to TRIs’ scheme since 2019.
However, the Ministry has been consistently providing financial assistance to the Tribal Research Institute (TRI), Odisha, for the maintenance and management of the existing Odisha State Tribal Museum in Bhubaneswar.
The museum, functioning since 2001 at CRPF Square, Bhubaneswar, serves as a vital centre for preserving and promoting the diverse tribal culture, customs, arts, and traditions of Odisha.
According to the details shared, the Ministry extends support under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs)’. This demand-driven scheme aids 29 TRIs across States and UTs in strengthening infrastructure, setting up or maintaining tribal museums (including virtual ones), conducting research, documentation, training programmes, and organising festivals to promote unique tribal heritage.
Key activities funded in recent years for the Odisha museum include:
- Workshop-cum-Capacity Building Training on LanjiaSaora Painting for tribal youth
- Live demonstrations of tribal art and crafts by tribal artists within the museum premises
- Annual insurance of artefacts and equipment
- Audio-video content development on tribal culture for virtual display in museum kiosks
- Maintenance and upgradation of interactive gadgets
The Annexure-I table details the funds sanctioned, released, and utilised over the last five financial years (2021-22 to 2025-26), with significant allocations in 2022-23 and 2023-24 for live demonstrations, documentation, and maintenance activities. Many projects saw full utilisation of released funds.
The SCSTRTI (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute), Odisha, also undertakes empirical research, ethnographic studies, and organises events such as National Tribal Crafts Mela, Tribal Dance Mela, art competitions, and poet meets to promote tribal culture.
Additionally, the Government of Odisha has taken parallel initiatives through the Special Development Council (SDC) covering 23 districts and the Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture (ATLC) in Bhubaneswar. These bodies focus on conserving sacred sites, documenting traditions, promoting tribal languages, publishing bilingual dictionaries, and organising melas and exposure visits.
The Ministry emphasised that the ‘Support to TRIs’ scheme remains flexible and responsive to the needs raised by State TRIs, ensuring that tribal languages, rituals, arts, and cultural practices continue to be preserved and disseminated for future generations.
