Chairman of National Monuments Authority (NMA) Kishor Basa has urged President Droupadi Murmu to establish of National Institute of Tribal Development (NITD) in Mayurbhanj district.

He called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday and requested her intervention for setting up the NITD at Rairangpur, considering its strategic location as well as the concentration of tribal population of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal in the eastern region. He suggested that the institute may be modelled after the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad.

Plea to preserve Jhumar, upgrade Khiching Museum

Basa also sought the attention of the President for the cultural preservation of the Jhumar song and dance form, which is recognised as an important intangible cultural heritage. Jhumar symbolises a cultural integration of tribes and castes in the major geographical region extending from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, to West Bengal and Assam.

He stressed the need for recognition of this song and dance form by establishing a National Centre for Jhumar at Baripada under the Ministry of Culture. He also requested the President to bring the Archaeological Museum at Khiching under the Archaeological Survey of India for better preservation, display and promotion. At present, the museum is functioning under the Odisha government.

Water crisis warning: Call for Odisha Pilot Project

He was accompanied by the chair of, strategic planning committee of World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), Ashok Basa, who urged the President to direct the government to initiate a pilot project on Water Resources Management in Odisha.

The project would involve creating a State Water Management Authority (SWMA) in Odisha, responsible for the restructuring of water policy. After successful implementation in the state, the same could be replicated in other states.

He submitted a detailed note in this regard. “India is facing its worst ever water crisis, which would result in six per cent loss of the country’s GDP by 2050. India’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply by 2030 and it will lead to severe water scarcity,” Basa said.