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Gandhinagar, Nov 14 (IANS) Narmada district will host the national-level celebration of Tribal Pride Day in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15, which marks the 150th birth anniversary of revered tribal icon Birsa Munda, also known as Dharti Aaba.
As part of the program at Dediapada, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth over Rs 9,700 crore jointly funded by the Center and the Gujarat government.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will also attend the ceremony.
Before the public event, PM Modi will visit the famous Dev Mogra Dham, a spiritual center deeply revered by tribal communities in the Satpuras.
He will worship the deity before proceeding to the venue, where tribal artistes from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra will welcome him with traditional performances.
A major part of the announcements include projects worth Rs 7,667 crore by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry and state government initiatives worth Rs 2,112 crore.
At Ekta Nagar, a special theatrical presentation on the life and legacy of Birsa Munda will be staged, and the entire program will be live-streamed across 23 tribal talukas of Gujarat.
PM Modi also has a program to address the gathering. The state government is set to undertake and dedicate a wide range of development projects spread across key areas, including major road upgrades such as widening and strengthening of Movi-Dediapada, Avadh-Tutrakhad and Surkhai-Anawal-Bhinar routes, four-laning of Bardoli-Mahuva and Sindharote-Sherkhi-Koyli roads, a new road overbridge on the Vadodara-Dabhoi section and near Erru Char Rasta. Includes reconstruction of an important bridge.
In urban development, the plans include a multi-activity sports complex in Khanpur area of Vadodara, underground drainage for Koyli TP scheme, a new water supply project in Khambhat and a flyover at Maharana Pratap Junction in Surat.
The government will also set up a 100-bed sub-district hospital at Halol and build a new dam on Ajwa Lake near Waghodia.
Additionally, major projects ready for inauguration include upgraded roads in Dangs and Tapi, improvement in water supply in Chhota Udepur, handing over of 61,125 rural houses under PMAY-Gramin, a modern town hall in Navsari and a smart green taluka library in Narmada.
At the national level, PM Modi will lay the foundation of 748 km of road connectivity including 190 ashram schools, 50 Eklavya model residential schools, 14 tribal multi-marketing centers and six bridges – projects worth Rs 3,777 crore.
Completed works ready for inauguration include 1 lakh pucca houses under PM-JANMAN and DAZGUA, 10,000 new tap-water connections, 228 multi-purpose centres, 42 EMRS schools, a capacity center at Assam Medical College (Dibrugarh) and an administrative-cum-training building for the Tribal Research Institute in Imphal.
Gujarat is celebrating Tribal Pride Year 2025 with statewide events, including a massive Tribal Pride Rath Yatra led by CM Bhupendra Patel.
Traveling across 14 tribal districts on two routes from Umargam and Ambaji to Ekta Nagar, the Yatra concluded on November 13, involving more than 7 lakh people through health camps, Seva Setu programmes, cleanliness drives and competitions in educational institutions.
Earlier this month, a national symposium on the life of Birsa Munda was held in Ekta Nagar, where the Chief Minister inaugurated a dedicated pavilion showcasing his legacy along with stalls promoting tribal handicrafts and cuisines.
Reflecting on the lasting impact of Birsa Munda, PM Modi has said, “Dharti Aba Birsa Munda is not just a person – he is a tradition. He sacrificed his life to protect his culture and his land. When I look at the contribution of tribal communities to India’s development, I see his face in their efforts. Just as Mahatma Gandhi became the voice against apartheid in South Africa, Birsa Munda had already written a powerful chapter against colonial rule here.”
–IANS
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