On September 23, the National Assembly of Tribal, Indigenous and Adivasi Peoples, gathered in New Delhi to denounce the language of the draft National Policy for Tribals. The declaration of the National Assembly called the draft Policy "unacceptable" and "offensive," according to The Hindu. The meeting was also attended by Union Tribal Affairs Minister, P.R. Kyndiah, and the Union Panchayati Raj Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, and several other tribal rights leaders and environmentalists.
According to the Declaration, delegates rejected the proposal for a variety of reasons ranging from lack of "recognition, protection or promotion of our customary laws, practices and governance systems" to lack of "reference to the urgent and anticipated increased need for conflict resolution and peace promotion using our strategies, customary laws and reconciliation mechanisms among Tribal, Indigenous and Adivasi Peoples."
The delegates formulated lists of principles that must be included in a National Tribal Policy, such as the ability to uphold their distinct ethnic identities, cultures, and political systems. They hoped that any future policies concerning indigenous people will take their rights into consideration.
