‘Adopt good habits of tribal communities to keep COVID-19 at bay’

Bhubaneswar, Apr 03 (PTI):
The tribal population in Odisha was largely untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic and their unique customary practices and traditions have helped them keep the infection at bay, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said here on Saturday while citing a study. The report by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) noted that by habit, the tribal people maintain a reasonable distance from one another when they walk, he said. “Such safe distancing and hygiene norms, rooted in the tribal culture coupled with the natural food, have helped them stay safe during the pandemic,” Naidu said addressing the 50th convocation of Utkal University here.
Universities should focus on these positive aspects of tribal communities and include them in their curriculum, he said.