Govt calls for avoiding word ‘adivasi’

The government has observed that ‘there exist no adivasis in the country’, and urged the media as well as the civil society not to use the word to mention the communities who are defined as ‘ethnic minorities’ in the constitution. A circular issued by the information ministry on Thursday asked the media to avoid the use of the word ‘adivasi’ in different programmes, discussions and talk-shows that will be aired on the occasion of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Day on August 9, according to a news agency.