Recent Current Affairs related to Tribal

Cheruvayal Raman, a renowned traditional rice conservationist from Kerala, known as “Nellachan” or the Father of Paddy, passed away at the age of 74. He is a recipient of Padma Shri in 2023.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has signed an MoU with Karmayogi Bharat to develop and operate the Tribal Affairs Capacity Building Platform under the iGOT Karmayogi framework.

The initiative is a part of the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan, under which the ministry is institutionalising over 76,000 Adi Sewa Kendras (ASKs) and a network of over 1.54 lakh AKVs as sustainable village-level platforms for facilitation, citizen engagement, and last-mile convergence.

The Geographical Indications (GI) Registry has granted the GI tag to ‘Mandar’, a traditional folk musical instrument from Jharkhand.

The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) under the Ministry of Rural Development has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Management Kolkata (IIM Kolkata) to conduct a 4-year longitudinal Impact Assessment Study of roads built under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana - IV (PMGSY-IV) and the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has signed an MoU with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture, for the preservation, documentation, digitalisation, research, and promotion of the diverse tribal cultural heritage of India.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has signed a 3-year MoU with the Lucknow-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI) to promote research and development for the conservation and ethnobotanical assessment of tribal bioresources in India.

The Geographical Indication (GI) Registry in Chennai has granted the GI tag to 3 agricultural products from Madhya Pradesh (MP): Khurasani Imli (Mandu), Garadu Tuber (Ratlam), and Balam Kakdi (Sailana).

These certifications are part of an initiative to protect 12 distinct regional agricultural items from the state.

World Sickle Cell Day

Day – June 19

Theme 2026 – "Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease"

Observed by – UN and WHO

Observed since – 2009

The Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags to 11 products from Jharkhand, including the Bhoya Saree and Fabric, Kuchai Silk Saree, Jharkhand Bamboo Craft, and Sohrai Painting.

With these additions, Jharkhand has a total of 12 GI-tagged products, of which 4 are supported by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

The GIR has also granted GI status to 4 traditional products from Assam, namely Karbi Anglong Handloom Products, Assam Bihu Pepa, Assam Bamboo Crafts, and Deuri Handloom Products. Assam currently holds 45 GI-tagged products in total, with 12 being supported by NABARD.

The tribal musical instrument of Tripura, Sarinda (also known as Sarinda Uakhrap), has been granted a GI tag. Tripura now possesses a total of 4 GI-tagged products, all of which are supported by NABARD. It is to be noted that a GI registration is valid for a period of 10 years from the date of registration and can be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), has launched a premium brand named “RISA - Timeless Tribal” for tribal textiles, embroideries, and handicrafts. An exclusive RISA store was inaugurated at the Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan in New Delhi.

The initiative aims to establish a brand identity for tribal products, strengthen market linkages for tribal artisans, facilitate design development, and promote tribal heritage in domestic and international markets.

The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) has signed three MoUs to modernise Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) through digital innovation and structural enhancements.

Under the first agreement, the EdTech firm CoGrad will provide 499 EMRSs with two years of free access to its “Medha AI” platform. NESTS has also renewed its corporate philanthropy partnership with the Learning Links Foundation (Amazon) for another two years. Additionally, a governance MoU signed with the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission has standardised EMRS funding at ₹1.47 lakh per student.