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The work done by the Modi government for tribal welfare over the years will also be significantly showcased, with the government telling people that it was the prime minister who was instrumental in making a tribal woman — Droupadi Murmu — the President of India
Narendra Modi pays tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda in Parliament House. (X@mannkibaat)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ on November 15, with events being organised all over the nation.
PM Modi will be in Jamui on the occasion, which marks the 150th year of Birsa Munda’s birth. Jamui is the constituency of Union minister and LJP MP Chirag Paswan.
Sources said the prime minister will unveil a statue of Birsa Munda and hold a public rally to mark the occasion.
Apart from this, Union ministers and MPs will travel across the country to hold programmes in honour of Munda’s contribution to the welfare of the tribal community.
“Honouring of tribal culture, celebration of tribal heritage, holding padayatras, honouring prominent tribal citizens, and organising programmes to tell people, especially the youth, about Munda’s life and commitment will be organised across the nation,” a source told CNN-News18.
The work done by the Modi government for tribal welfare over the years will also be significantly showcased, with the government telling people that it was PM Modi who was instrumental in making a tribal woman — Droupadi Murmu — the President of India.
India is home to a vibrant and diverse range of tribal communities, with the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population recorded at 10.45 crore, or 8.6 per cent of the total population, according to the 2011 Census. These communities, comprising over 705 distinct groups, are spread across the country, often living in remote and inaccessible areas, a government communique reads.
The Indian government’s focused efforts towards tribal development date back to the implementation of the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) in 1974-75, which evolved into the Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) and the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST). These plans ensured that various ministries targeted tribal welfare through a coordinated approach.
The financial commitment has significantly increased, with the DAPST budget rising from Rs 25,000 crore annually to Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2023-24. The Union Budget 2024-25 has further increased the allocation to Rs 13,000 crore for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, reflecting a 73.60 per cent increase over the previous year’s estimate, the government said in an official statement.
On October 2, 2024, PM Modi launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan in Hazaribag, Jharkhand. With an outlay of over Rs 79,150 crore, this ambitious programme aims to address critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood development across approximately 63,000 tribal villages. The initiative benefits over five crore tribal people across 549 districts and 2,740 blocks, spanning 30 states and Union Territories (UTs). It integrated 25 interventions across 17 ministries and departments of the government of India.
The prime minister also laid the foundation for projects under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN). These projects, worth over Rs 1,360 crore, focus on improving road connectivity, constructing Anganwadis and multipurpose centers, and building school hostels. The government also announced the electrification of over 75,800 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) households and operationalised 275 mobile medical units and 500 Anganwadi centers. Additionally, 250 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been established, and over 5,550 PVTG villages have been provided access to clean drinking water under the ‘Nal se Jal’ scheme, the statement reads.
Not just the BJP, but the NDA will mark this occasion in their respective states for which committees consisting of four to five Union ministers have been formed by the prime minister. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya is leading this group of ministers, which has participation from both BJP and NDA cabinet ministers.
Last month, when PM Modi held the chief ministers’ council meeting on the sidelines of taking over Haryana, PM Modi had made a mention of how his alliance government had planned to honour various legends could not get their due credit. He had requested all NDA partners and NDA chief ministers who were present in the meeting to participate in these programmes.
Apart from the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the government also plans to celebrate the upcoming birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Atal Bihari Vajpayee amongst others. The stress on honouring the commitment of freedom fighters and the formation of India’s Constitution, which reaches its 75th year soon, was also one of the programmes that the prime minister had discussed during the meeting.
The celebration also comes at a time when both Jharkhand and Maharashtra, which have a sizeable presence of tribals, are set to vote in assembly elections.
Birsa Munda was a cult figure who led the tribal revolution against the British and was considered one of the key figures who spoke about tribal rights in his fight for independence.
Birsa Munda’s slogan threatening the British Raj — Abua raj ete jana, maharani raj tundu jana (“Let the kingdom of the queen be ended and our kingdom be established”) — is still remembered.
After coming to power in the second term, PM Modi’s cabinet in 2021 decided to observe the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda each year as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ to honour his contribution.
Considered a reformist who opposed conversion by Christians and challenged the British rule, Munda is considered ‘Bhagwan’ [God] by tribals in Jharkhand.
