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ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies (AITS) of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), near here has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State government's Research department to carry out extensive heritage documentation and formulate a State culture policy, one of the few in the country. The MoU was signed by RGU Registrar Nabam Tadar Rikam and Director of Research Batem Pertin on Friday in presence of RGU Vice-Chancellor Saket Kushwaha and Pro Vice-Chancellor Amitava Mitra. The Research Director handed over a draft of Rs. 45,24,000 to the central varsity, as the first installment of the project funds, on the occasion.
The project will engage with communities and prepare a roadmap of government intervention, define support mechanism of such initiatives and evolve strategies and an action plan through an academically driven prism, sources at the RGU informed.
The expected outcomes of the MoU are assessment of existing fault lines and finding ways in which to strengthen them, which will ensure that the cultures of the indigenous communities are protected. Terming the MoU as historic, Prof Kushwaha said that traditional knowledge by itself is very structured and contains within itself tremendous wisdom.
"There is a need to document and share that wisdom today," he said and urged upon both the AITS and the Directorate of Research to let the project be dynamic and evolve as it progresses. Prof Mitra said the MoU was a sign of how the university was fulfilling its commitment to playing a proactive role in the socio-economic development of the State. Saluting the early research done by Verrier Elwin, Parul Dutta and other pioneers in the Research department, he said that the project should carry the same spirit.
Dr Rikam commended the vision of the project and assured the university's fullest support towards the it.
AITS Director Jumyir Basar said that the idea of the agreement emerged from the Dream Change Conclave organised by the state government in collaboration with the RGU and CCRD in 2017 and in response to an invitation by Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
Flagging intellectual property, cultural and language endangerment as the project cornerstones, she said that the policy will emerge from a synergy of academics, policy planners and the communities themselves, so that the traditional knowledge systems can be protected. She said that in addition to the Directorate of Research, the AITS will collaborate with the Communication Resource Centre of RGU's Department of Mass Communication led by cultural activist Moji Riba for effective implementation.