NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said tribal communities had borne the brunt of Naxal violence for years, accusing previous governments of neglecting their concerns and leaving them without adequate protection and development opportunities.
He alleged that Naxals had deprived tribal people of their voting rights, while earlier governments remained silent spectators.
Modi was addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, through video conferencing on the 151st birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
The Prime Minister said tribal communities had consistently raised their voices against injustice and stressed that his government was working to improve living conditions in areas that had remained deprived of basic facilities for decades.
He said more than Rs 1 lakh crore had been allocated for the development of tribal regions, highlighting efforts to strengthen infrastructure and expand access to essential services.
Referring to the government’s poverty alleviation initiatives, Modi described lifting 50 crore people out of extreme poverty as one of India’s biggest achievements since Independence.
During the programme, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 246 development projects worth approximately Rs 3,000 crore. The initiatives are aimed at improving education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities and community infrastructure in tribal areas.
Of the 246 projects, 173 were inaugurated. These included 38 Eklavya Model Residential Schools for tribal students and 100 Multi-Purpose Centres under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).
