Bhopal, 22 July 2025 — In a transformative push towards realizing the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the 2nd Regional Process Lab (RPL) under the Aadi Karmayogi – National Mission for Responsive Governance today in Bhopal. The initiative seeks to build a grassroots force of 2 million tribal functionaries and village-level change leaders committed to last-mile service delivery and inclusive governance.
The seven-day RPL marks a key milestone in the mission’s rollout and trains State Master Trainers (SMTs) from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh, who will lead the cascading capacity-building efforts across states.
A Whole-of-Nation Approach Rooted in Tribal Ethos
The Aadi Karmayogi Abhiyan is more than a training program; it is a nation-wide governance reform movement anchored in tribal values and powered by convergence, capability-building, and community leadership. It builds on earlier initiatives such as PM-JANMAN (Whole of Government) and DAJGUA (Whole of Society) and now expands into a Whole-of-Nation strategy.
Addressing the gathering virtually, Shri Vibhu Nayar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, described the initiative as a “historic opportunity to co-create a new era of tribal governance.” He urged SMTs to act as “pioneers of change” capable of transforming governance structures from the ground up.
Voices from the Ground: Convergence and Capacity as Catalysts
Inaugurating the lab, senior government officials and civil society leaders emphasized the program’s unique role in creating sustainable, culturally-sensitive development models:
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Dr. Kunwar Vijay Shah, Tribal Welfare Minister of Madhya Pradesh, highlighted the state’s full institutional support and underscored the importance of leveraging Extension Training Centers and Panchayat-level facilities to empower tribal functionaries.
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Shri Girish Prabhune, President, Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, praised the initiative as a “timely and transformative” step and emphasized culturally grounded, skill-based development models tailored to tribal regions.
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Shri Gulshan Bamra, Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare, Madhya Pradesh, described the mission as a convergence-focused platform that translates policy into impactful grassroots action.
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Shri L. Vekateshwarlu, Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh, and Shri Sonmani Borah, Principal Secretary, Chhattisgarh, acknowledged the power of the cadre-based capacity model in bridging critical gaps in the implementation of welfare schemes.
What is the Aadi Karmayogi Model?
At its core, Aadi Karmayogi is a cadre-based, cascading capacity-building framework. It envisions:
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SMTs (State Master Trainers) training DMTs (District Master Trainers)
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DMTs training thousands of frontline tribal functionaries
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Integrating civil society organizations (CSOs) to promote participatory learning and contextual adaptation
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Convergence across key ministries: Tribal Affairs, Rural Development, Jal Shakti, Women and Child Development, Forests, and Education
Aadi Karmayogi’s Key Objectives:
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Promote responsive governance rooted in tribal values
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Strengthen institutional capacities at the grassroots
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Foster local leadership and cultural competency
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Improve last-mile delivery of welfare schemes
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Enable real-time grievance redressal and feedback loops
Speaking at the event, Shri Ajeet Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Commissioner, NESTS, hailed Madhya Pradesh as a pivotal state for tribal development and called the initiative “a convergence-driven model of innovative governance aligned with PM’s Mission Karmayogi vision.”
In his concluding remarks, Shri Jafar Malik, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, described the RPL as a “melting pot of grassroots wisdom” and emphasized the need for cross-departmental synergy to deliver lasting change.
What’s Next?
Seven RPLs are planned across India between July and August 2025, each designed to operationalize the Aadi Karmayogi framework in diverse tribal contexts. The mission envisions a future where governance is not only responsive and inclusive but also culturally rooted and community-led—aligning closely with India’s aspiration for a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Source: PIB
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