Sultan Bathery, India – January 2025 – The three-day national conference "Innovations in interventions for the indigenous population" opened on Thursday, 9 January, at Don Bosco College Sultan Bathery. The event marks the beginning of the promotion of dialogue, research and solutions for the emancipation of indigenous communities. Organised by the Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (IMHANS), the ribal Mental Health Project, the Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management (DPSSDM) in Bangalore, as well as the Salesian host institute, the event brings together experts from various fields to address the mental and physical health issues faced by tribal communities. On the opening day, after the opening address by Fr Antony Thekkedath, Principal and Dean of Don Bosco College, Dr Subhasis Bhadra, head of the DPSSDM, presented the objectives of the conference. Subsequently, the Mayor of Sultan Bathery, Mr T.K. Ramesh, affirmed the importance of sensitising indigenous communities, fostering change through education, providing them with land, and implementing effective precautions against natural disasters. The director of IMHANS in Kozhikode, Dr P. Krishna Kumar, stressed the need for collaborative efforts to address the challenges faced by tribal communities; while Prof. N. Vinod Chandra Menon, founding member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), highlighted the critical gaps in access to health and mental health services, in particular among indigenous populations, underlining the urgent need for better strategies.