Gandhinagar, Nov 14 (IANS) The Narmada district will host the national-level celebration of Tribal Pride Day on November 15 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the 150th birth anniversary of revered tribal icon Birsa Munda, also known as Dharti Aaba.
As part of the event in Dediapada, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs 9,700 crore, jointly funded by the Centre and the Gujarat government.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will also attend the ceremony.
Ahead of the public event, PM Modi will visit the famed Dev Mogra Dham, a spiritual centre deeply revered by tribal communities across Satpuda.
He will offer prayers to the deity before proceeding to the venue, where tribal artists from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra will welcome him with traditional performances.
A major share of the announcements includes Rs 7,667 crore worth of projects by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, along with Rs 2,112 crore in state government initiatives.
At Ekta Nagar, a special theatrical presentation on the life and legacy of Birsa Munda will be staged, and the entire programme will be live-streamed across 23 tribal talukas in Gujarat.
PM Modi is also scheduled to address the gathering. The state government is set to launch and dedicate a wide range of development projects spanning key sectors, including major road upgrades such as the widening and strengthening of Movi–Dediapada, Avdha–Tutrakhad and Surkhai–Anaval–Bhinar routes, four-laning of Bardoli–Mahuva and Sindharot–Sherkhi–Koyli roads, a new road overbridge on the Vadodara–Dabhoi stretch, and the reconstruction of a crucial bridge near Eru Char Rasta.
In urban development, plans include a multi-activity sports complex in Vadodara’s Khanpur area, underground drainage for the Koyali TP scheme, a new water supply project in Khambhat, and a flyover at Surat’s Maharana Pratap Junction.
The government will also establish a 100-bed sub-district hospital in Halol and construct a new dam at Ajwa Lake near Waghodia.
Additionally, key projects ready for inauguration include upgraded roads in Dang and Tapi, water supply improvements in Chhota Udepur, the handover of 61,125 rural homes 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 190 Ashram Schools, 50 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, 14 Tribal Multi-Marketing Centres, and 748 km of road connectivity, including six bridges — projects worth Rs 3,777 crore.
Completed works ready for inauguration include 1 lakh pucca houses under PM-Janman and DAJGUA, 10,000 new tap-water connections, 228 multipurpose centres, 42 EMRS schools, a Centre of Competence at Assam Medical College (Dibrugarh), and an administrative-cum-training building for the Tribal Research Institute in Imphal.
Gujarat has been celebrating Tribal Pride Year 2025 with state-wide programmes, including a massive Tribal Pride Rath Yatra led by CM Bhupendra Patel.
Travelling across 14 tribal districts on two routes — from Umargam and Ambaji to Ekta Nagar — the yatra concluded on November 13, having engaged over 7 lakh people through health camps, Seva Setu programmes, cleanliness drives, and competitions in educational institutions.
Earlier this month, a national symposium on Birsa Munda’s life was organised at Ekta Nagar, where the Chief Minister inaugurated a dedicated pavilion exhibiting his legacy, alongside stalls promoting tribal handicrafts and cuisine.
Reflecting on Birsa Munda’s enduring influence, PM Modi has said, “Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda is not just a person — he is a tradition. He sacrificed his life to protect his culture and his land. When I see the contribution of tribal communities in 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 penned a powerful chapter against colonial rule here.”
--IANS
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