Prof. Basa Urges President’s Support for Tribal Development Institute

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: National Monuments Authority Chairman Prof. Kishor Basa met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday and urged her support for establishing a National Institute of Tribal Development (NITD) in Rairangpur, Mayurbhanj district.

Prof. Basa highlighted Rairangpur’s strategic location near tribal-dominated regions of Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, stating that the proposed institute—under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs—could be modelled on the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad.

During the meeting, Prof. Basa, accompanied by his twin brother Ashok Basa, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), also stressed the need to preserve the Jhumar folk tradition. He proposed setting up a National Centre for Jhumar at Baripada under the Ministry of Culture, noting its cultural presence across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam.

Prof. Basa further recommended that the Archaeological Museum at Khiching, currently managed by the Odisha government, be brought under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for improved preservation and promotion of its valuable collections.

Water Scarcity Concerns Raised

Ashok Basa used the meeting to draw attention to the global water crisis amid the United Nations’ ‘Water Action Decade 2018–2028’. He warned that India could face a 6% GDP loss by 2050 due to severe water shortages, with national demand expected to outpace supply by 2030.

He urged the President to consider launching a pilot project on water resource management in Odisha, including the creation of a State Water Management Authority to overhaul water policy. A detailed memorandum outlining the proposal was submitted to the President.