Bhubaneswar: The state government has prepared the blueprint for opening nine new Museum of Tribal History at nine districts of the state to promote the art and culture of tribal people of the state.

The museum at the capital city will be upgraded accordingly and will be renamed as State Tribal Museum instead of Museum of Tribal History. A source said that six such districts had already been chosen to set up these museums.

The districts where these tribal museums will be established are: Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Sundergarh and Kandhamal. An official said that mostly the tribal-dominated districts would be chosen for the museum.

A senior official of the ST and SC development department told The Telegraph that the proposal for opening the museums had already been submitted to the government for approval. "Once the approval is granted, we will go ahead to prepare the report and work on the museums," said the official.

A source said that the museums would have separate sections to tell the story of various kinds of tribal people of the state. It will also have books written by tribal writers and their research works as exhibit.

The state has nearly 62 different kinds of tribes including Bonda, Kandh, Kotia, Paroja, Pentia and more.

Besides, the department has also been planning to organise tribal textile fairs across the state where craftsmen from across the country will come and exhibit their products. At present, the department is organising such fairs in the capital city of the state.

"The state is known for its tribal people across the world. It has large number of tribal total population. These people have a distinct kind of lifestyle, which attracts tourists from the foreign origin. Such museums will add to the tourism potential of the state," said Ashok Pani, a visitor to the museum.

As part of upgrading the existing museum of the city, authorities have procured a special cart for Rs 5 lakh for elderly and disabled visitors who will be able to explore the museum premises using the cart. Besides, officials have also decided to collect a certain entry fee to the museum shortly, which was free earlier.