From Executive Director's Desk

In order to make a correct appraisal of the problems of tribals in the light of their distinctive life and culture, Government of India had sponsored a programme during IIIrd Five Year Plan to start Tribal Research and Training Institute in all such states of the country which had more than one million tribal population.

Under this programme, a proposal to start such an Institute in the Gujarat State was submitted by the Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmadabad which is a Deemed University founded by Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1920. Accordingly with its full financial commitment, the State Government set-up this Institute at the Gujarat Vidyapith in June 1962.

Our Institute is a premier organization for Research and Training in welfare and culture of the Scheduled tribes. The Institute has in the main three sections - Research, Training and Museum.

The Institute serves the state as:

• A centre for studies in tribal situation and problems, planning for tribal areas and evaluating the tribal development programme.
• A documentation centre for relevant problems concerning the tribal region.
• A co-ordinating centre for anthropological and linguistic studies carried out amongst tribal communities.
• A briefing and training centre for Officers of ITDP, Extension Workers, Local Officers and Village Level Workers, I.C.D.S. Workers etc., as well as for workers of voluntary organization.
• A centre for collecting and displaying tribal artifacts in a museum set-up at this Institute which gives a vivid visual idea of tribal life and culture.

Executive Director, Gandhinagar