Adivasis

Birsa Munda's great-grandson, injured in road accident, dies in Ranchi

Tribal icon Birsa Munda's great-grandson Mangal Munda, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital here after being injured in a road accident, died of "cardiovascular failure" on Friday, an official of the health facility said. He was 45. Mangal Munda breathed his last at 12.30 am at the state's apex health facility - Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences. Munda sustained severe head injuries after he fell from the roof of a passenger vehicle in Jharkhand's Khunti district on November 25. "Birsa Munda's kin Mangal Munda died of cardiovascular failure around 12.30 am. He was on a ventilator after being critically injured. We tried our best to save him but failed," RIMS Medical Superintendent Dr Hiren Birua told PTI. Mangal Munda was referred to RIMS on Tuesday from Khunti's Sadar Hospital. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Gangwar condoled the demise of Mangal Munda. "I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of Shri Mangal Munda Ji, a descendant of

PM has 'denied' Adivasis religious identity, refused Sarna code, says Cong

The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday by posing questions on Jharkhand, asking why has he "denied" Adivasis their religious identity and refused to enact the Sarna code. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that as Prime Minister Modi holds poll rallies in Jharkhand, he should answer three questions before seeking a single vote. Where is the Korba-Lohardaga and Chatra-Gaya railway lines, Ramesh asked in a post on X. He said the people of Lohardaga and Chatra have been demanding better rail connectivity for years as it would improve locals' access to education and employment opportunities. "Sadly, the Railway Ministry has ignored their demands and made very poor progress on this front. In October 2022, the Railway Ministry sanctioned the Chatra-Gaya rail project but two years later, no progress has been made. There is no word on the Korba-Lohardaga line," he said. "How much longer must the people wait for the these crucial

Mahayuti obstructed FRA implementation, denying Adivasis of benefits: Cong

The Congress on Thursday alleged that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra obstructed the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, depriving millions of tribals of its benefits, and asserted that the law's implementation was the key priority of the Adivasi Sankalp announced by Rahul Gandhi earlier this year. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Manmohan Singh-led government in 2006 passed the revolutionary Forest Rights Act (FRA), which granted Adivasi and forest-dwelling individuals and communities legal rights to manage their own forests, and economically benefit from the forest produce they collect. The FRA provides for both individual and community rights, he said, pointing out that Menda Lekha in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district in April 2011 became the first community to secure forest rights privileges, with the gram sabha getting control over the use of bamboo, he said in a post on X. "The BJP and the Mahayuti have, however, obstructed

Hindu, Adivasi population declining, JMM doing vote-bank politics: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cautioned that the population of Hindus and Adivasis in Jharkhand is declining and accused the JMM-led coalition government of engaging in dangerous "vote bank politics" by supporting infiltrators at the expense of the state's identity, culture, and heritage. He asserted that it was time to "throw such forces out" to protect "mati, beti, roti" (land, daughter, bread). "The time is ripe for 'Parivartan' in Jharkhand to safeguard 'beti, mati, roti' and combat corruption. The JMM-led coalition is playing a dangerous game, jeopardising the identity, culture, and traditions of the people while patronising infiltrators," Modi said during the concluding programme of the BJP's Parivartan Yatra, which covered approximately 5,400 km across all 81 assembly segments. Modi criticised the coalition for being insensitive, citing the deaths of several aspirants during recruitment drives for excise constables. This visit marks Modi's second trip to Jharkhan

No Dalit, Adivasi, or OBC in Miss India list, I checked, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he checked the list of former Miss India but found no Dalit, tribal, or OBC among the winners. Gandhi made the remark during a 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan' here, while pressing for a nationwide "caste census". The former Congress chief said that without the participation of "90 per cent" of its people, the country cannot operate. "I have checked the list of Miss India, which did not have any Dalit, Adivasi (tribal) or OBC women. Some will talk about cricket or Bollywood. No one will show the cobbler or plumber. Even top anchors in the media are not from the 90 per cent," he said. "They will say Modiji embraced someone and we have become superpower. How have we become superpower when 90 per cent people has no participation?" he asked, attacking the mainstream media of the country. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP might say that he was trying to divide the country with his demand of a caste census. "We want

LS polls mark rise of Bharat Adivasi Party in Rajasthan's tribal belt

The just-ended elections marked the rise of the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in Rajasthan's tribal belt with the party making its debut in the Lok Sabha and also winning the Bagidora assembly by-election. Rajkumar Roat, the BAP MLA from the Chaurasi seat, secured a decisive win in the Banswara-Dungarpur Lok Sabha constituency, defeating BJP nominee Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya by 2.47 lakh votes. Roat's victory highlights the party's growing appeal among tribal voters. It was the Banswara-Dungarpur parliamentary segment where Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources. "This urban-naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your 'Mangalsutra'. They can go to that level," Modi had said, addressing a rally in Banswara ahead of the elections. The BAP made its presence

'Bhrasht Janata Party' sought to dilute Adivasi rights, says Jairam

The Congress on Sunday claimed that the Modi government's Forest Conservation Amendment Act had "undid" the progress of the historic Forest Rights Act of 2006 and accused the BJP of diluting tribal rights. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rally in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur. "Why do the people of Jamshedpur still suffer from poor connectivity? Why is it that the 2As and their tempo-loads of black money roam free, while Jharkhand's Adivasi CM was put in jail? Why is the Adityapur Industrial Area still waiting for environmental clearance? Why has the PM denied Adivasis their religious identity and refused to recognize the Sarna code?" Ramesh said. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", he said Jamshedpur, despite being an industrial hub, has poor transport connectivity. The number of trains running to key cities such as Bhagalpur, Bengaluru, and Delhi are inadequate, he said. The city had a functional airp

LS polls: Modi govt neglected MP's Adivasi communities, alleges Congress

The Congress accused the BJP-led Centre on Tuesday of "neglecting" the Adivasi communities of Madhya Pradesh and alleged that the saffron party's allocation for Adivasis in the central budget has consistently fallen short of the 8.2-per cent target set by the NITI Aayog. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the latter's rallies in Madhya Pradesh. "Why has the BJP failed to improve rail connectivity in MP's tribal districts? Why are Adivasis unwelcome in 'Modi ka Parivar'? Why does the Modi sarkar continue to neglect migrant workers?" Ramesh asked on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla (rhetoric) details", the Congress leader said even after being in power for 10 years, the Modi government has "failed" to complete the Dahod-Indore and Chhota Udaipur-Dhar railway lines. "These railway lines were sanctioned by the UPA government but ten years later, construction has not even begun. Better rail connectivity would bring

Bharat Adivasi Party eyes Lok Sabha seats reserved for STs across states

Bharat Adivasi Party in the past elections cornered a major portion of tribal votes in Rajasthan. It is now eyeing Lok Sabha seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes across states

Odisha govt's anti-tribal schemes only to woo adivasis ahead of polls: BJP

Terming the ruling BJD in Odisha as anti-tribal, opposition BJP alleged that the state government rolled out special packages for tribals only to woo them ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections. The BJD's programmes for adivasis are a poll gimmick to mislead the one-crore tribal population in the state, Opposition chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters here on Tuesday. They were actually planning to grab tribal land for corporate houses by amending the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation. However, the government failed in its bid in the wake of strong protests from different quarters, Majhi claimed. The Odisha Cabinet on Monday withdrew its earlier decision on tribal land transfer to non-tribals. The BJP leader also mocked the cabinet's approval of a new scheme Laghu Bana Jatiya Drabya Kraya (LABHA) to assure minimum support prices for minor forest produces. With the elections approaching, the state govern

Union Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan

The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) to focus on 11 critical interventions through various ministries, Union minister Anurag Thakur said Wednesday. The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in Jharkhand's Khunti, will have a total outlay of Rs 24,104 crore. The Central share will be Rs 15,336 crore and states will contribute Rs 8,768 crore. The nod to the scheme was given by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday night. Seventy-five communities located in 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). These PVTGs continue to face vulnerability in social, economic and education sectors, the government noted. The PM-JANMAN will focus on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The Ministry of Ayush will set up Ayush Wellness Centre as per existing norms and

Assam govt issues Rs 47 cr grant to surrendered cadres of Adivasi militants

Chief Minister Dr Sarma exuded confidence the former rebels would achieve self-reliance by making the best use of the financial grants being provided to them

BJP takes your land and gives it to Adani: Rahul Gandhi at Banswara rally

CM Ashok Gehlot allocates Rs 100 crore for the development of Mangarh Dham, promises 400,000 women free smartphones and ration kits

1182 cadres of eight Adivasi outfits formally deposit arms to Assam CM

Altogether 1182 cadres of eight Adivasi insurgents outfits, which had signed a peace agreement with the central and Assam governments, on Thursday formally deposited their arms to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here. The representatives of outfits, including three breakaway factions, deposited their arms to the chief minister at a ceremony organised by the home department here. The cadres laid down 304 arms and 1460 rounds of ammunition. These included seven AK-series rifles, twenty .303 rifles, four SLRs, four carbines, one INSAS rifle, one LMG, 124 pistols, 30 semi-automatic rifles, 20 grenades, 10 Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), two kgs of RDX and 2.5 kgs of TNT. The home department had displayed 200 of these arms at the venue of the surrender ceremony. The chief minister in his address welcomed the members of various insurgent outfits, saying they have shunned the path of violence and joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission of peace and progress in the North East,

Indian prisons in dire straits: 7 in 10 undertrials, 1 in 3 Dalit or tribal

Seven in 10 of the 478,600 people in prison in Indian jails are under trial, according to the 2019 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on prisons

EIA assault on ecological security, environment, poor adivasis: Congress

Environmentalists, civil society groups and activists have raised objections to the EIA 2020

Virulent times for the faceless millions, now on the road to uncertainty

Would we in the upper class place ourselves in the hands of the government in times such as these? And if not, why do we expect that the poor would? The Indian state is weak and lacks capacity

Pathalgadi movement: India's old battle with its Adivasis continues

The supporters of the movement declare the gram sabha as the highest authority, and refuse to obey the state and central governments

As SC hearing nears, Adivasis recall evictions that led to Forest Act

Activists and forest dwellers fear a repeat of the evictions in 2002 if the court revives its February 13, 2019, order

Why the Adivasis of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are running out of patience

Angry Adivasis are asserting themselves with the age-old practice of pathalgadi - declaring their right to self-governance