National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) under the ablest leadership of Shri Harshji Chauhan, Hon'ble Chairperson has been organizing seminars across the country in 125 universities to commemorate the invaluable "Contributions of the Tribal Freedom fighters in India's Struggle for Independence". Its important to note that the contributions of tribal freedom fighters in Indian freedom struggle are immense but their accounts find scarce mention in our academia and school curricula. This initiative led by Shri Harshji Chauhan is such an appreciable step particularly so since we have been celebrating "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" since a years time.
NCST, a constitutional body is created as per Article 338 A in 2004. Its deposed with the responsibility of protecting constitutional and legal rights of tribal people spread across India. It possess quasi-judicial powers and can summon the persons who do not discharge their responsibilities in this regard. It also is mandated to advise central and the state governments on the issues of development and planning for tribal people's overall wellbeing in the country. It publishes reports on various aspects of tribal rights and their development and submits them to the Hon'ble President of India as in when it deems fit.
Shri Harshji Chauhan, an alumnus of IIT Delhi, has done M. Tech. in Systems Management and has long standing experience of working for tribal people. He has remained associated with social activities since 1988 and established Shivganga(https://shivgangajhabua.org/aboutshivganga), an organization working for the socioeconomic and cultural development of tribal people in the Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh state along with Padmashree Maheshji Sharma. The organization has been functioning since 1998 and has done stupendous job in improving livelihoods of tribal people along with orienting them to the sustainability approach.
Shri Harshji often observes that the governmental policies meant for the development of tribal people in the country are marred with image versus reality about them. Therefore, he has organized various dialogues called "Samvad" between the policy makers and the activists working at grassroot levels to fill in this gap. He holds that the objective behind any policy should be that of the empowerment of last person in the social ladder. That can only be done by taking care of their identity, existence and development particularly in relation to the scheduled tribes in India.
