New Delhi, Nov. 13 -- Once seen largely as beneficiaries of welfare schemes, India's tribal communities are now emerging as entrepreneurs, innovators, and market leaders, says Jual Oram, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet since 2024

Steering this transformation, Oram, in an email interview with LiveMint, discusses the government's new approach-one that combines compassion with commerce, and inclusion with innovation-to achieve sustainable growth and dignity in tribal areas across the country. Edited excerpts:

Q: How is the government enabling tribal entrepreneurship to shift from welfare-based support to market-driven growth?

A: We are steadily moving tribal entrepreneurship from a welfare-dr...