Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja presided over a high-level conference held at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Friday to discuss the full implementation of the “Aadi Karmayogi Abhiyan,” a flagship program of the Indian government’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The program’s goal is to improve the effect and implementation of grassroots welfare programs designed specifically for tribal communities. In order to plan for cooperative implementation and interdepartmental cooperation, top officials and secretaries from many state agencies convened. Through direct community engagement and the improvement of administrative capabilities, the “Aadi Karmayogi Abhiyan” aims to make tribal development projects more inclusive and outcome-driven.
An outline of the campaign’s goals was given by B. Parameswaran, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Department of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes Development, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare. He emphasized the importance of implementing integrated government programs to provide efficient access to basic amenities including housing, roads, healthcare, education, and livelihoods.
In order to support the campaign, people from each tribal village—representing different facets of society—are being sought out and trained. Teachers, physicians, Anganwadi workers, SHG members, Panchayati Raj representatives, government employees, youth volunteers, and senior local leaders would be among these people. Twenty trained people will form a cadre in each community to serve as change agents at the local level. At the state, district, and block levels, master trainers are being established to assist with this. By creating and leading rural teams, these trainers will subsequently increase capacity at the village level. Officials from the Tribal Welfare Department and affiliated agencies are already undergoing training.
