Tata Steel, since inception, has endeavored for the welfare and growth of tribal communities in and around its areas of operation. In continuation with its commitment towards the indigenous society, Tata Steel today concluded the second day of 'Samvaad', a 4-day conclave. The tribal meet is being organised by Tata Steel's Tribal Cultural Society, the arm which works extensively for the tribal welfare, preservation and promotion of tribal culture and heritage.

The day was marked by panel discussions at the two auditoriums, Manthan and Chintan with eminent panelists discussing issues related to 'Tribal livelihood' and 'Particularly vulnerable tribal groups' (PVTG) respectively. The discussion on PVTG witnessed participation from eminent thought leaders and activists representing various regions. The session was moderated by Dr. Premananda Panda, Former Director, SC & ST Research and Training Institute, Bhubaneswar. In his address, Mr Panda said, 'While industrialisation has contributed to the growth of society and nation, it has also impacted tribals. There is a need to create a balance to make this growth sustainable for all.' While stressing on the cultural aspect, he also said, "Language is the vehicle of culture; the culture invariably gets extinct if the language gets extinct." Sharing some startling facts on the need for preservation of languages across the country, Mr Dharmendra Pare, Assistant Professor, Hamidiya College, Bhopal, MP said, 'Every day 14 languages in the world die a pre-mature death. Even the UNESCO has identified 196 dying languages. When language dies, the knowledge and history of a particular tribe dies. Please preserve languages.'

During the panel discussion on Tribal Livelihoods at Manthan, Prof. T V Kattimani, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, MP, said, 'Education is a potent tool of empowerment. It can enable a tribal to achieve success and lead a respectable life.' Adding thoughts on the topic, Martin Rabha remarked 'We are trying to popularise clothes woven by Rabha people. I remember Barack Obama's wife buying one such piece at our stall during their visit to India. It was a moment of pride for us.'

The 4-day conclave include a conglomeration of 2000 plus tribal artists, thought leaders, eminent personalities and activists from more than 40 different tribes, from across 19 states in the country - Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. This event will feature panel discussions (Tribal livelihoods, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, Tribal medicinal systems, Tribal perspective on development, Tribal languages and literature, Tribals and protection of natural habitats and a Round table with tribal women), cultural performances from around the country, film screenings, textiles and handicrafts.

About Tata Steel

Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 28 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 24.81 billion in FY 14, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group's vision is to be the world's steel industry benchmark in "Value Creation" and "Corporate Citizenship" through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.