Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated Two Tribes India showrooms (Kolkata in person and Gwalior virtually) in a grand opening ceremony in Kolkata today. Smt Renuka Singh, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Ramesh Chand Meena, Chairperson TRIFED and Shri Deepak Khandekar, Secretary, M/o Tribal Affairs attended the opening ceremony as Guests of Honour. Shri Pravir Krishna,  MD, TRIFED and other Trifed officials were present at the new showroom located in the Salt Lake City locality in Kolkata.

After lighting the traditional lamp, Shri Arjun Munda took a round of the shop appreciating the tribal handlooms and handicrafts and tribal produce on display. He interacted with the staff and also the tribal sellers who were displaying their work, be it natural, organic immunity boosting produce or handicraft and art items.

Addressing on the occasion, Shri Munda said, “I am happy that TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs is doing stellar work in promoting and marketing tribal produce and products. It is my pleasure to inaugurate the 124th & 125th TRIBES India showrooms across the country for marketing of the tribal handicrafts and handlooms and Van Dhan Naturals and immunity boosters.”

He spoke extensively about the significance of preserving and promoting the art and culture of the tribal population who form roughly 8% of the population. He expressed his happiness at the various initiatives put in place by TRIFED and the Ministry to improve the economic condition of these downtrodden people.

Speaking on the occasion, Smt Renuka Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs congratulated the entire team of TRIFED on their diligent efforts during the times of pandemic and reiterated the Ministry’s focus on “Be Vocal for Local.”  Shri Ramesh Chand Meena, Chairman TRIFED, also lauded the commendable efforts and urged the teams to continue striving to work towards the development of the tribal people.

Both the outlets located in fairly prestigious areas, are the second Tribes India showrooms in their respective cities. With the inclusion of these two outlets, from a single flagship store at 9 Mahadeo Road, New Delhi in 1999, TRIBES INDIA now has 125 retail outlets across India. Besides stocking products – arts and crafts from all the 27 Indian states, both the Kolkata and the Gwalior outlets will also showcase on Van Dhan essentials and immunity boosters – essential products during this pandemic.

Shri. Pravir Krishna, MD, TRIFED in his welcome address spoke about how TRIFED is upping its efforts to source, promote and help tribal products reach larger and newer markets. “The empowerment of the tribal people is the main objective of TRIFED and all our efforts are targeted at achieving this. Taking the Prime Minister’s message forward of “Be Vocal for Local” and to promote the livelihood of the tribal people marketing, TRIFED, with the support of the Minister and the Ministry have initiated several path-breaking initiatives that have a wide-ranging impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people.” He mentioned TRIFED’s exclusive e-marketplace for tribal producers which was launched in October to connect more than 5 lakh tribal producers to markets, both national and international. Thus, the Tribes India E-Mart platform will be an omni-channel facility.

As a part of its initiatives to promote the livelihood of the tribal artisans through marketing and provide support to tribal produce and products, TRIFED is continuing to expand its retail operations across the country. In its mission to empower the downtrodden tribal people, by promoting the economic welfare of their communities across India (through development of marketing and the sustained upgradation of their skills), TRIFED, as the national nodal agency for tribal welfare, had started the procurement and marketing of tribal art and craft items through its network of retail outlets under the Tribes India brand.It is committed to protecting and furthering the interests of the tribal communities across the country. Its main objective is to empower the tribals and help boost their livelihoods.

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NB/SK/jk/MoTA/19/.12.2020