The Manikya Lal Verma Tribal Research and Training Institute, Udiapur, Rajasthan, commonly known as TRI, is an institute established with the objective of promoting research and training   with regard to study of socio-economic and cultural life of the tribals of Rajasthan.It thus aims to bring the tribals nearer to the national mainstream, aware the scholars and planners regarding various problems  of tribal life and culture and imparting training and orientation to the tribal for their human resource development. It is one of the 23 TRI's of the country. The others are located   in Bhubaneshwar (Orissa). Ranchi (Jharkhand), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Kolkata (West    Bengal), Pune (Maharashtra), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Guwahati (Assam), Kozhikode (Kerala), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Udagamandalam (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad (Talangana), Imphal (Manipur), Agartala (Tripura) Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Port Blair (Andman Nicobar, UT), Raipur (Chattisgarh) and Mysore (Karnataka), Vijayawada( Andra Pradesh), Goa(Goa), Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir, Nagaland, Sikkim, Utrakhand.

The TRI is situated at Udaipur in Rajasthan (India). It is one of the oldest Tribal Research and Training Institute. It is surrounded by the Aravalli ranges in the heart of Udaipur, the picturesque Lake City. It has beautiful campus with tribal museum, library, conference hall and hostel well accommodated in it. This TRI has the motto of Tribal Panchsheel in priciple as its guide to the path of tribal development.

HISTORY

The Institute owes its emergence, in a broader way to the Indian Constitution which guarantees special status to the millions of tribals. The founders of our Constitution had an experience of witnessing the tribal groups living in isolation quite segregated from the mainstream civilization and buried in poverty indebtedness and backwardness. They suffered for centuries with the exploitation and oppression by the non-tribal groups. The Commissioner for Scheduled Tribes     and Scheduled Castes was appointed as per the provisions of the Constitution to report to the Parliament, the progress made by the tribals towards improvement of their quality of life, Shri L.M.Shrikant, the first Commission, in his first ever annual report has emphasized the need for the creation of Tribal Research Institutes in each state where the scheduled tribes live in considerable number. It was stressed by Shri Shrikant that there are number of erroneous views, myths and legends about the tribals who live in hills and forests. The non-tribals have to be   properly and scientifically 'educated' about the life of the tribals. The Tribal Research Institutes   thus were charged with the challenging task of demystifying and debunking the notions about tribals held in common by the non-tribals.

The TRI, Udaipur, Rajasthan came into existence within this broader national syndrome on   January 2, 1964. It has been named in the memory of Shri Manikya Lal Verma, one of the most prominent state leaders who was a staunch freedom fighter and who pursued and upheld the cause of the welfare of tribals above everything else. In his agenda of constructive work, the tribals should occupy the upper most places. Due to his dedicated efforts the Institute could be accommodated on the present site and spacious building. The Institute is presently situated near    the Ayad River and near the samadhi of late Chief Minister State of Rajasthan Shri Mohanlal Sukhadiya. This Institute is responsible to the Government of India, Government of Rajasthan and other societies for working out their plans, raising the needs of tribal people and to do research on tribals of the state. The Institute in its initial period from 1964 to 1979 functioned under the administrative control of the Social Welfare Department of the Government of Rajasthan and subsequently was handed over to the Tribal Area Development Department Jaipur, Rajasthan on 1st April 1979. Presently it is functioning under the administrative control of the Commissioner, Tribal Area Development Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur.

ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP OF T.R.I.

The Additional chief, Tribal Area Development at the state level and the Commissioner, Tribal Development Department, Udaipur, at the local level is the administrative head of the Institute. The Director, TRI with a team of experts.

CENTRE FOR TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT

The centre for tribals Development, registered under Society Act 1958 in 1986-87 under the chairmanship of the commissioner, Tribal Area Development Department, Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is an auxiliary and ancillary body of the TRI, Udaipur. The objective of the centre is as follows:

1.      To help in extending the activates of the instruction to various division of sub-plan area.

2.      To channelize necessary financial recourses form various sources

3.       To organize seminars on the education of tribal communities.

4.      To undertake research studies on aspects affecting the tribal communities.   

FUNCTIONS OF THE INSTITUTE:-

1.      Undertake researches on the social, economic and cultural life of tribals of the state with special reference to planning

2.      Compare the findings of the research with other peoples of the state.

3.      Organize seminars, training, programmers and conferences.

4.      Publish research journal, monograph, reports etc.

5.      Render advice to the state government in matters relating to tribal welfare and allied as referred to by the state government.

6.      Provide research facilities such as book and expertise consolation to research workers interested in tribal problems.

7.      Act as center of information on research and training programmers in the state relating to tribal problems.

8.      Co-ordinate and exchange the results of researches and surveys with other bodies performing similar functions