BHUBANESWAR: The ST & SC Development department will set up a new academic centre and language laboratory under the Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture (ATLC) for furthering the research and documentation of tribal communities, their cultures and languages.
The decision comes following a directive of Minister of ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare department Nityananda Gond. The academic centre will be constructed within the 100-days plan of the department.
Official sources said it will come up soon at Gothapatana on the city outskirts, near the proposed Adivasi Bhawan which is being developed as a multipurpose centre for meetings, conferences and exhibitions of tribal art and culture.
The purpose of the centre would be to document and preserve languages of 64 tribes and 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) and provide cultural studies.
“Languages of various tribes will be recorded and documented with regards to their origin, transformative changes over the years, new additions, etc. Similarly, the academic centre will create awareness among tribal students about their own cultures,” said an official of the department.
