Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas now a national festival; previous govts abandoned tribals amid Naxal violence, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 246 development projects worth around Rs 3,000 crore in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli while virtually addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme.

The prime minister also virtually inaugurated a Tribal Research Institute in Arunachal Pradesh, a Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Mizoram and various projects under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan.

Also Read: PM Modi, President Murmu pay tribute to tribal icon Birsa Munda on Jharkhand State Foundation Day


Addressing the gathering, Modi said the observance of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, which began on November 15, 2021, had evolved into a national celebration.

"What began as the celebration of Tribal Pride Day on November 15, 2021, has today become a national festival," he said.

Paying tribute to tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary, Modi said the occasion honours the pride of tribal communities and draws inspiration from their contribution to the country's history.

Also Read: UK's Prince William to be joined by wife Kate for India visit this week

"On the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, I pay my heartfelt tributes to him. Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas is a national celebration that honours the pride of tribal communities and draws inspiration from Bhagwan Birsa Munda," he said.

He said more than two lakh programmes were organised across the country last year to mark Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, with crores of citizens participating in them.

"There was a time when several festivals and occasions were decided from a foreign point of view. But today, India is remembering its heritage, history, and heroes with indigenous pride," Modi said.

The prime minister also described the elimination of Naxalism-Maoism as one of the country's achievements, alleging that tribal communities had borne the brunt of the violence.

"One of the achievements of the country is freedom from Naxalism-Maoism. People of tribal belts in the country, including Gadchiroli, know that Naxal violence harmed the tribal community the most," he said.

Modi said around 125 districts were affected by Naxalism-Maoism in 2014, with hundreds of incidents of violence reported every year and thousands of innocent people losing their lives, many of them tribals.

He alleged that successive governments had abandoned people affected by Naxal violence and remained silent as their rights were taken away.

"Members of the tribal community were not even allowed to vote. The then Governments remained mute spectators and closed their eyes," he said.

"Today, when Naxalism-Maoism has been eliminated, mothers and sisters in the tribal community are giving us their blessings," Modi added.

The prime minister said the government had allocated more than Rs 1 lakh crore for the development of tribal areas and had made efforts to address regional development gaps.

He said special campaigns had been launched in more than 100 aspirational districts and over 500 aspirational blocks across the country, including areas with significant tribal populations.

"Now, special attention is also being paid to 100 districts that lag behind in agriculture under the PM Krishi Dhan Dhaanya Yojana," he said.

The prime minister also said that 50 crore people coming out of extreme poverty was among India's biggest achievements since Independence.

He said the government was committed to ensuring development reached tribal communities and regions that had remained neglected for years.