Birsa Munda Jayanti: PM Modi announces Rs 24,000 cr schemes for tribals

Today, India is celebrating Bhagwan Birsa Munda's birth anniversary. This day is also known as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. PM Modi pays tribute to Bhagwan Munda, announces Rs 24000 cr schemes

Today is the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a tribal hero from Chota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand. The day is also known as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas'. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

PM paid tribute to Birsa Munda on X, “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 birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, the PM also launched a Rs 24,000 crore welfare of tribals scheme in the country. He will also inaugurate the Vikshit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from the land of Birsa Munda.

Who is Birsa Munda?

Born on November 15, 1875, Birsa Munda was a tribal independence activist who hailed from Jharkhand. He was a folk hero who came from a Munda tribe, he led his tribe in several religious millenarian movements in the 19th century during the British Raj and emerged as one of the most influential figures in the history of the Indian Independence movement. The revolt mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Tamar, Sarwada, Khunti, and Bandgaon.

Birsa gained his formal education in Salga under the guidance of Jaipal Nag, and thereafter, Birsa converted into a Christian to join the German Mission School but dropped out soon after he realised that Britishers were using education to convert tribals to Christianity. After dropping out of school, he founded a faith called Birsa. Munda community started joining the faith which turned into a massive challenge for Britishers.

Thereafter, the people who followed the Birsa faith were known as Birsaits and they openly declared that their real enemies were the British and not the Christian Mundas. The unfair land-grabbing practices by local authorities and colonialism demolished the tribal conventional land system, which caused the Munda revolt. He challenged the British Christian missionaries and revolted against the conversion activities along with the Munda and Oraon communities. One of his portraits hangs in the Indian Parliament Museum.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

The Indian government will launch Vikshit Bharat Sankalp Yatra for two months which is aimed at reaching out to every nook and corner of the country to showcase central government schemes' benefits through nukad nataks, personal stories and even quizzes.

The Yatra will reach out to those who benefited from centrally run schemes for some reasons, like sanitation facilities, LPG Cylinders, clean drinking water, electricity connection, healthcare etc.

The tribal activities threatened self-immolation if the PM did not make any announcement to fulfil the demand for recognition of the Sarna religion during his Jharkhand visit. The activists will also observe fast between 10 am to 1 pm in Jharkhand and other states to support their demands.