AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi welcomed by Adivasis at B.R. Hills, Karnataka, on Tuesday. H. Sudharshan, founder of the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra, is at right. B.R. HILLS (Chamarajanagar district): Reaching out to the tribal communities, All-India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi said he would ensure that their voice was heard in the highest circles in New Delhi. He began the second leg of his "Discover India' tour with the Adivasis of Biligirirangana Betta on Tuesday, which also marked the beginning of his five-day tour of Karnataka. He reiterated the party's resolve to implement the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act and advocated education as a means to reduce the differences among various strata of society. He took a dig at those who belittled the Rs. 60,000-crore farm loan waiver. Mr. Gandhi and his entourage arrived at the Vodagere helipad at the foothills of the Biligirirangana Betta and drove to the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK) founded by Right Livelihood award-winner H. Sudharshan and spent some time getting to know issues concerning the tribal people. On his arrival, he headed straight to Mutugada Podu, a tribal hamlet at B.R. Hills, where he was warmly welcomed. He spent some time at the residence of Jadegowda and had honey and bread before proceeding to the VGKK campus. Mr. Gandhi subsequently interacted with Dalits and representatives of other backward class communities and participated in a public meeting, which was attended by Adivasis in large numbers. He expressed gratitude for the hospitality extended to him at the tribal haadis and appreciated the traditional wisdom enshrined in their lifestyle. He recalled his recent visit to Orissa and said that in contrast to the situation prevailing in that State, the forests in this part of the country were well preserved. He said it was strange that though tribal people and forests had co-existed for 3,000 years, people still thought that tribal people and their lifestyle inflicted damage on forests. He said society was ignoring the traditional wisdom of the tribal communities on environmental and conservation issues at tremendous cost, and it was imperative that the acquired knowledge of thousands of years be tapped for sustainable living as practised by the tribal and forest dwelling communities. Mr. Gandhi received several memorandums seeking the socio-economic uplift of tribals and Adivasis. There was no question of not implementing the Forest Rights Act. At the venue, Mr. Gandhi got down from the dais and mingled with the tribals. He promised to improve their conditions and drew attention to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the loan waiver as testimony to the Congress' commitment to the weaker sections.