Kalimela Hosts Grand World Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebrations, Emphasizing the Preservation of Indigenous Culture, Heritage, Rights and Traditional Practices

Kalimela: Aug 14 [UDN}:World Indigenous Peoples’ Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm at Kalimela in Malkangiri district on August 9. The programme was organised by the District Indigenous Peoples’ Association Joint Action Committee and the Gamam Committee. Around 3,000 indigenous men and women from different parts of the region participated in the event.
A grand procession was taken out from Baduguda to Kalimela, culminating at the meeting venue on the RMC premises. The programme began with floral tributes and the lighting of a ceremonial lamp before the portrait of indigenous revolutionary leader Birsa Munda.
Speakers at the event highlighted the glorious history, culture, traditions and various socio-economic problems faced by indigenous communities. A memorandum containing an 18-point charter of demands was submitted through the Kalimela Block Development Officer to the President of India, Governor of Odisha, Chief Minister and Malkangiri District Collector.
Among the major demands were granting special state status to the undivided Koraput region comprising Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts; restoration of tribal land allegedly occupied by non-tribals; correction and re-settlement of faulty land records; and provision of 5 acres of agricultural land and 40 cents of homestead land to landless Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families.
The organisers also demanded an end to the rehabilitation of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators, proper compensation and rehabilitation of people affected by the Polavaram project before displacement, district-based recruitment to Class III and IV posts, and appointment of teachers based on local languages.
Other demands included opening admissions at B.D. College in the district, speedy disposal of 2/56 cases, withdrawal of Section 2(b) forms where applicable and restoration of tribal land allegedly transferred to other communities. The memorandum also called for protection of tribal rights over water, land and forests, effective implementation of the PESA Act, and protection of existing land rights of Bengali refugees in accordance with government agreements.
The organisers further demanded full implementation of the ITDA system with priority to beneficiaries’ rights, establishment of a super-speciality medical college in the district, constitutional protection for backward classes and minority communities, hostel facilities for backward-class students, and inclusion of eligible Scheduled Caste families occupying forest and community land before 2004 under relevant forest and community land rights provisions.
Hostel facilities were also sought for tribal students coming to the district headquarters for higher-education coaching.
Lalit Narayan Madkami, K. Durga, Jara Sabar Madi, Dambaru Bagha, Bharat Khara, Sanu Anugu, B. Kameshwar Rao, Kanteswar Patla, Raghav Rao, Haldhar Pujari, Bijay Pusur, Deba Madkami and several others participated in the programme and addressed the gathering.
The event also recalled the history of the observance of World Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The United Nations established a working group on indigenous populations in 1982, with its first meeting held on August 9 that year. The UN subsequently designated August 9 as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, with the first official observance taking place in 1994. The day is observed to highlight the rights, identity, culture and challenges of indigenous peoples across the world.