MUMBAI, May 3 -- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said tribal communities and Scheduled Castes preserved India's identity and civilisational ethos despite foreign invasions and prolonged hardships, stressing the need to integrate them into the mainstream development process with equal access to opportunities and services.

Speaking at the Karmayogi awards ceremony in Mumbai, attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Bhagwat underlined that these communities safeguarded the nation's "soul" even as invaders targeted and uprooted those who upheld its value system.

He said the enduring ethos of Indian society-rooted in service and collective well-being-has survived for thousands of years despite challenges arising from both external invasions and int...