Lok Sabha Question No. 6291 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-02
Subject: Recognition of Tribal Healers
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi, Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil, Ms. Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-6291

TO BE ANSWERED ON-02/04/2026

## RECOGNITION OF TRIBAL HEALERS

## 6291.  ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI: SHRI VISHALDADA PRAKASHBAPU PATIL: MS. PRANITI SUSHILKUMAR SHINDE:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government has recognised or proposes to recognise tribal healers as partners in public  health  delivery  under  national  health  programmes  in  collaboration  with  the  Ministry  of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of AYUSH and the policy framework governing such recognition;
- (b) if so, the number of tribal healers identified or formally recognised and the criteria adopted for such identification, State/UT-wise, district-wise and year-wise particularly in Maharashtra;
- (c) whether such recognised tribal healers would receive structured training, formal accreditation, certification,  honorarium  and  legal  protection and  whether  quality control, monitoring and standardised care protocols would be instituted to ensure safe and accountable service delivery, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  steps  taken  to  ensure  that  documentation  and  integration  of  indigenous  tribal  medical knowledge  do  not  result  in  commercial  exploitation,  misappropriation  or  biopiracy  and  the safeguards in place to protect community intellectual rights?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)

(a): The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) organized a national capacity-building programme for Tribal Healers at Hyderabad, Telangana on 16 January 2026. The aim was to engage tribal healers as community-level  partners in strengthening health outreach in tribal areas in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), ICMR-RMRC BB and Ministry of AYUSH.

(b): Ministry of Tribal Affairs has articulated an indicative national target to enable recognition of one lakh tribal healers. However, identification, enumeration and criteria for recognition are undertaken at State level and through health system frameworks under Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare  and  the  Ministry  of  AYUSH.  In  the  capacity  building  program  held  on  16 January 2026 at Hyderabad, Telangana, State/ UT Governments have forwarded list of approx. 500  tribal  healers  for  attending  the  programme.  Around  50  numbers  of  tribal  healers  from Maharashtra attended the programme.

(c): Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  in  collaboration  with  Indian  Council  of  Medical  Research  Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha is working on developing structured capacity-building and sensitization programmes  for  tribal healers, including training on preventive care, awareness generation, early identification and referral linkages.

(d): The  protection  of  indigenous  tribal  medical  knowledge  and  prevention  of  its  misuse  is primarily the responsibility of State Governments, which oversee documentation processes and safeguard  community  intellectual  rights.  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  has  prepared  a  Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for capacity building programmes  that incorporates ethical considerations, including prior informed consent and respect for traditional knowledge systems.

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