PM to visit Birsa Munda’s birthplace, unveil Rs 24,000cr scheme for vulnerable tribal groups

PTI, Nov 15, 2023, 9:28 AM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Jharkhand, will visit tribal icon Birsa Munda’s birthplace in Khunti district on Wednesday and unveil a government scheme worth Rs 24,000 crore for the development of vulnerable tribal groups.

The PM will first visit the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park-cum-Freedom Fighter Museum in state capital Ranchi, and then fly to Khunti district where he will pay homage to the icon at his birthplace Ulihatu village and participate in a programme, marking the third ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’.

Modi will launch the Rs 24,000-crore project aimed at the development of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from there. He will also launch the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, release the 15th installment of Rs 18,000 crore under the PM-KISAN scheme, and inaugurate and lay the foundation of projects worth Rs 7,200 crore in the state.

”I have reached Ranchi after memorable rallies and road shows in Madhya Pradesh. Tomorrow, 15th November, is a very special day. I will have the privilege of joining the people of Jharkhand in the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas celebrated on the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda Ji. I feel very proud to have got the opportunity to visit his birthplace Ulihatu,” the PM posted on X after reaching Ranchi on Tuesday.

”During this visit, while I will flag off the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Khunti, I will also inaugurate a historic scheme of Rs 24,000 crore for the welfare of the tribal community,” he added.

Greeting the people of the state on the foundation day, he said that Jharkhand has been famous for its mineral resources as well as the courage, bravery and self-respect of the tribal society.

”My family members here have made an important contribution to the progress of the country. I convey my best wishes to him on the foundation day of the state and also wish for the bright future of the state,” he posted on X.

He also paid tributes to Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary.

”Many best wishes to my family members across the country on this special occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas,” he posted on X.

The ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ will reach out to people, who are beneficiaries of the Centre’s flagship programmes, across the country and it will culminate on January 25, an official said.

”We are going to visit 2.7 lakh panchayats of the country, and about 15,000 urban locations where ground-level activities will take place by automated IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vans that have been designed to talk to people, inform them about the central programmes and what has been accomplished so far,” he said.

As part of the Rs 24,000-crore PM PVTG Mission, basic facilities such as road and telecom connectivity, electricity, safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition and sustainable livelihood opportunities will be provided to areas where these tribal groups live as these are mostly remote, scattered and inaccessible, the official said.

Around 28 lakh PVTGs belonging to 75 tribes live in 22,544 villages in 220 districts across 18 states and UTs, he said.

The PM will also release the 15th installment of PM-KISAN for more than 8 crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, more than Rs 2.62 lakh crore has been transferred to farmers so far.

Modi will unveil projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore for the state, and these include rail, road, education, coal, petroleum and natural gas, a statement said.

The projects that will be inaugurated include the new campus of IIM-Ranchi, a new hostel of IIT-ISM Dhanbad, Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) depot in Bokaro, doubling of railway tracks in the Hatia-Pakra, Talgaria-Bokaro and Jarangdih-Patratu sections.

The projects for which foundations will be laid include the four-laning of the 52-km stretch of Mahagama-Hansdiha section of NH-133, four-laning of the 45-km stretch of Basukinath-Deoghar section of NH-114 A, KDH-Purnadih Coal Handling Plant and a new academic and administrative building of IIIT-Ranchi.

After the function, he will fly back to Ranchi, from where he will leave for Delhi in the afternoon. The PM held a 10-km roadshow in Ranchi, around 10 pm on Tuesday after reaching here.