New Delhi, Mar 16 (IANS): Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Saturday virtually laid the foundation stone for setting up the 'Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Culture & Heritage' at Padampur in Jharkhand and inaugurated the tribal museum in the national capital.

Addressing the gathering via video conference, Munda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 10-year tenure has given utmost importance to the task of preserving and promoting Indian knowledge systems, traditions and cultural ethos at the national and international level.

Following the vision of the Prime Minister, it is our duty and shared responsibility to encourage and empower the tribal community for a strong self-reliant India of tomorrow, the minister added.

Union Ministry for Tribal Affairs has approved a budget of Rs 10 crores for the establishment of the Centre in Jharkhand’s Kharsawan district to depict and preserve the rich legacy of the tribal community.

The Centre will showcase the tribal culture and the history of the region. It would also be a knowledge and information centre for assisting the tribal communities in their development. The Centre is aimed to be developed in future as a live centre, with space for artisans to demonstrate their skills and to serve as a hub for tourism, according to an official statement.

At another event on Saturday, the minister also inaugurated the recently renovated the National Unique Tribal Museum, e-Library and ST Girls’ hostel funded by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs at Bharatiya Adim Jati Sevak Sanghathan (BAJSS) in the national capital.

BAJSS was established in the year 1948 by Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar, popularly known as Thakkar Bapa, an Indian social worker who worked for the uplift of tribal people.

Munda said that the BAJSS museum of tribal artefacts and library, located at Jhandewalan in New Delhi, has a collection of rare books, a cultural heritage which if not conserved, protected and taken care of, could have disappeared.

He said the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry decided to revive the Tribal Museum at BAJSS Bhawan, and allocated an amount of over Rs. 3 crores for the project.

Munda expressed happiness that while the initiative of the Ministry has led to the revival of this building and the museum, the library located here is also being digitalised so that rare books can be collected and preserved.

Further, interactive digital kiosks have been installed at various places in the museum to provide various types of information, the Minister added.