Narendra Modi targets Congress over plight of tribals

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the Congress for 'ignoring' the welfare of tribals, adding efforts are underway to ensure development of regions which remained backward during the 'previous' regimes.

"Tribals were not given their dues by the earlier governments and were deprived of basic facilities," Modi said, addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas celebrations here. The Central government is celebrating November 15, the birth anniversary of revered tribal icon Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. "Like Ambedkar Jayanti, Gandhi Jayanti and other similar days, the jayanti (birth anniversary) of Bhagwan Birsa Munda will be celebrated every year on November 15," Modi said.

Development is now taking place in 100 aspirational districts which remained backward during the earlier (Congress) regimes, Modi said. Modi said India is celebrating the first Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas after Independence, adding the tribals' art and culture, and their contribution to the freedom struggle and nation-building is being remembered with pride. The country cannot forget the bravery of Gond queen Durgawati or the sacrifice of Rani Kamlapati, he said. The struggle of Veer Maharana Pratap cannot be imagined without the brave Bhil tribe who fought shoulder to shoulder and made sacrifices, Modi said.

"The previous regimes have committed a crime by ignoring the tribal icons and their contribution. The contribution of the tribal society was either not told to the country and even if told, very limited information was given," Modi said. Modi launched multiple initiatives for the welfare of the janjatiya community, including the 'Ration Aapke Gram' scheme in Madhya Pradesh. The scheme is aimed at delivering the monthly quota of PDS Ration to beneficiaries from janjatiya community in their own villages every month, so that they don't have to travel to the Fair Price Shop to collect their ration.

Modi also handed over genetic counselling cards to beneficiaries, marking the launch of the Madhya Pradesh Sickle Cell (Hemoglobinopathy) Mission. The Mission has been developed to screen and manage patients suffering from sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies and to increase public awareness about these diseases, whose impact is seen to be more profound on the janjatiya community of Madhya Pradesh. The PM also laid the foundation stone of 50 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across various states and UTs including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. He said the plan was to have 750 such schools all over the country.