Birsa Munda Jayanti: PM Modi paid tribute to Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary, which is also known as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ in Ulihatu.
Taking to X, the Prime Minister wrote, “Respectful tribute to Lord Birsa Munda ji on his birth anniversary. Many best wishes to my family members across the country on this special occasion of Tribal Pride Day.”
On the occasion of Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, the Prime Minister will be launching scheme worth ₹24,000 crore for the welfare of tribals in the country. He will also inaugurate the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from the land of Birsa Munda.
“Tomorrow is Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. I will go to Jharkhand to pay respect to (tribal icon) Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The entire country will celebrate Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s jayanti and the Centre will announce a scheme worth ₹24,000 crore for the welfare of tribals,” the PM said on 14 November.
Who is Birsa Munda?
Birsa Munda was a freedom fighter and social reformer who spread awareness among the tribal society living in remote areas. Janjatiya Gaurav Divas is a day to honour the contributions of India’s tribal communities. It’s celebrated on November 15th, which is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, a tribal hero from Chotanagpur. The day is also meant to inspire generations to preserve cultural and national pride.
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra that will be launched today will continue for two months which is aimed at reaching out to every nook and corner of the country to showcase the benefits of the central government’s schemes through personal stories, nukad nataks, and quiz.
Moreover, the Yatra is also aimed at reaching out to those who have not benefited from centrally run schemes for some reason, like sanitation facilities, electricity connections, LPG cylinders, healthcare, clean drinking water, and others.
Earlier on Saturday, tribal activists threatened self immolation if PM Modi did not make any announcement on the long-standing demand for recognition of Sarna religion during his visit to Jharkhand. The activists will also observe a fast between 10 AM to 1 PM in Jharkhand and other states on the day in support of the demand, ‘Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan’ (ASA) president Salkhan Murmu said.
Earlier on 8 November, the ASA had also held a rally in Ranchi on demanding the Centre’s recognition to tribal Sarna religion. Incidentally, the Centre declared November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ since 2021.
Murmu said majority of the states in the country like Punjab, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal were formed on linguistic basis to preserve their cultures, identities and languages but Santhali, despite being recongnised under the 8th schedule of Constitution in 2003, was not made the official language of Jharkhand till date though it was carved out of Bihar after a long tribal movement for statehood.
Last week, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said Modi is welcome in Jharkhand but the decision to recognise the ‘Sarna’ religion is still pending with the Centre. “We have already sent all the papers (related to demands for a separate Sarna religious code for tribals) to him … Now he has to take a decision on it,” Soren said on Thursday.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 15 Nov 2023, 08:20 AM IST