Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with tribal groups especially primitive tribes, including Asurs and assured them of providing all necessary help so that they can join the mainstream of society.
Modi also released online the first instalment to one lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY – G) to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN). The PM assured the PGTV community that before Diwali a pucca house would be provided to them.
Speaking online to Shashikiran Brijiya of the endangered primitive tribe of Tutwapani village of Bishunpur block of Gumla district through video conferencing, he said they will celebrate Diwali in a pucca house this year.
The Prime Minister also interacted with tribal people from across the country getting information about the condition of the primitive tribes and the schemes of the Central Government to reach the plateau areas.
Primitive tribes from over 100 districts connected with the prime minister online, including four districts in Jharkhand-Gumla, Godda, Sahibganj, and Khunti.
Union Agriculture cum Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda was also present on the Bishunpur block campus, where around 600 primitive tribes assembled to talk directly to Modi.
Asurs— a primitive tribe of Jharkhand— were the ones who first made iron in the world, but they are now threatened with extinction. They are traditional iron smelters who live mainly in Jharkhand’s Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu, and Latehar districts.
Jharkhand takes pride in its 32 tribes, including 8 Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). They are Asur, Birhor, Birajia, Korwa, Savar, Pahariya (Baiga), Mal Pahariya and Souriya Pahariya.
The Prime Minister, in his address, mentioned that the PVTG communities were deprived of their benefits for past 75 years and now the government has finally through PM-JANAMAN scheme is constantly working for providing them the basic amenities like pucca house, water, electricity, road and mobile connectivity, MMU, Aadhar card, Ayushman card, etc. The Prime Minister also thanked the officers who have worked hard through outreach camps and helped in providing benefits of various schemes at the door step of persons residing in remotest locations. He also mentioned how different Ministries of Government of India are working together for the welfare of these most backward communities.
Expressing happiness on the work being done in mission mode under PM-JANMAN mission, Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Shri Arjun Munda expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister for his emotional, sensitive and focussed approach for ensuring that historically deprived tribal families get justice through the PM-JANMAN campaign. He informed that out of 22,500 PVTG villages, 17,443 have joined today’s event.
The Minister said that more than 8,000 camps were organized within 2 months in remote areas of the country, including mountainous and border areas. In these camps, benefits like issuance of Aadhar cards, Ayushman Cards, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana funds, Kisan Credit Card, Forest Rights Act leases, opening of PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts, caste certificates and ration cards, among others, have been given to the most backward tribal populations in the country.
Munda further thanked all the concerned Union Ministries and State governments associated with this mission that have worked tirelessly for 2 months to sanction projects worth Rs. 4769 crores that have been approved by the Prime Minister today. Looking at the speed with which all the Ministries have worked together, Shri Munda expressed confidence that more than 50% of the schemes would be approved in this financial year itself. This, he added, is an excellent example of the ‘Whole of Government’ approach of the Government of India towards ensuring overall development of the tribal people.
