THE DAILY TELEGRAM,
Port Blair, May 29, 2004

Two-Day Seminar On "Drawal Of Policy For The Jarawas Concludes
Admn. Fully Committed To Protection & Welfare Of Jarawas; Lt. Governor
PORT BLAIR, MAY. 28.

The Lt. Governor, Prof. Ram Kapse today exhorted that the A & N
Administration is fully committed to the protection and welfare of the
Jarawas, their land and their resources. A number of steps aimed at the
welfare of the tribe have already been taken by the Administration, the Lt.
Governor said this while addressing the valedictory function of the
all-important two-day seminar on "Drawal of Policy for the Jarawas in the
Andaman Group of Islands" held at the conference hall of JNRM here this
afternoon. The Lt. Governor said that the Administration will leave no stone
unturned to implement the policy that would be finally evolved for ensuring
the survival of Jarawas and other aboriginal of these Islands.

The Lt. Governor was of the opinion that in the background of change in
the behaviour of the Jarawas, the deliberations of these two all-important
seminar will crystallize into the firm recommendations for policy
formulation for the welfare of the Jarawas. He said that research into
matters regarding aboriginals should be taken up to get valuable inputs for
making policy changes as and when they may be required. The outcome of the
researchers will provide the guidelines for carrying out welfare programmes
suitable to felt needs of the aboriginals, the LG added.

Earlier, in the concluding session of the seminar, Shri V.V. Bhat, Chief
Secretary, A & N Administration and Shri. S. Chatterjee, Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India summarised the recommendations
which have emerged as a consensus after the two day deliberations. Noted
among them are protection of Jarawa territory, demarcation of the tribal
reserve areas, need for firm legal foundation for embedding rights of
Jarawas, stopping poaching activity in Jarawa reserve, strengthening
organizational capability in respect of handling poaching, seeking public
cooperation, intervention only for medical purpose, developing system of
communication with Jarawas, no interference with cultural life of Jarawas,
sensitization of officials who came in contact with the Jarawas learning
Jarawa language etc.

In the pre-lunch session of the seminar two sessions were held. In the
first session Prof. P. Mishra, Mysore presented paper on the topic exposure,
forest policy, protection and tourism. Strategy for Jarawas. Prof. Mishra
said there is need to realize the sensitivity and seriousness by the common
people for the welfare of the Jarawas. Jarawas are important not only to the
people of these islands but they are equally important for the whole world,
he added. The session was chaired by Shri S.K. Naik, Member, Central
Administrative Tribunal and former Secretary, Govt. of India which was
followed by a lively discussion.

In the second session, three presentations were made which was chaired by
Prof. R.S. Mann, former Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of
Delhi. Making a power point presentation on the topic Health Care and
Communication: Strategy for Jarawa, Dr. Sudarshan, Vivekananda Girijana
Kalyan Kendra, Bangalore, gave a detailed account of the health status of
the Jarawas. He also suggested some points empowering Jarawas for better
health. Dr. Sam Mohan Lal, Deputy Director, Centre for Indian Language
(CIIL), Ministry of HRD in his presentation said that the CIIL will take
steps to bridge the divide that exists between the Jarawas and non-Jarawa
population.

Dr. Sita Venkateswar, Lecturer, Massey University, New Zealand in her
presentation said that we have an unique opportunity before us here to undo
some of the errors of the past and create a legacy for the future for the
Jarawas, setting up a model that we as a nation can feel proud of, and which
the rest of the world looks to emulate.

Before the start of the session, the Chief Secretary, Shri V.V. Bhat
gave clarification on the issues like encroachment in Jarawa reserve forest,
total staff deployment in Jarawa area for protection of Jarawa in terms of
health security etc.

Addressing the gathering, the Member of Parliament, Shri Manoranjan
Bhakta expressed his happiness over organizing an important seminar on
drawal of policy for the Jarawas welfare. He said earlier these tribe were
hostile but now they are coming to the mainstream and in this regard there
is need to evolve some measures to bring the Jarawa children in to the
mainstream.

The Member of Parliament said that we are equally interested in
protecting the Jarawas. The closure of the Andaman Trunk Road is not the
solution for protecting them. Now-a-days Jarawas are in the habit of
visiting the nearby villages daily and the trend will continue in the
future. The closure of the ATR will stop the development of the islands and
many of the youth will have to leave their jobs, he added.

The seminar concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Director
(Tribal Welfare), Shri S.A. Awaradi.


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