PM Modi Inaugurates Over 240 Tribal Development Projects on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas

November 15, 2026

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated virtually in the Tribal Pride Day celebrations from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, on Sunday. On the occasion, marking the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 246 development projects worth approximately ₹3,000 crore aimed at improving the development and living standards of tribal communities across the country.

These projects primarily aim to strengthen community infrastructure, including education, healthcare, employment, and livelihood opportunities. They focus on increasing access to essential services in tribal areas and accelerating the overall development of tribal communities.

During the event, the Prime Minister inaugurated 173 projects. These include 38 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students and 100 multipurpose centers built under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyay Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).

These multipurpose centers are being developed as key hubs for providing government services and community activities in tribal areas. Several other projects were also inaugurated under PM-JANMAN and the Dharti Aba Janjati Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA).

Key projects include the Tribal Research Institute (TRI) building in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, and the Ropuiliani Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Aizawl, Mizoram. These projects aim to preserve tribal culture, history, and heritage.

The Ropuiliani Museum has been established to honor the courage, valor, and sacrifice of Mizo tribal freedom fighters. It will showcase the rich cultural traditions, historical heritage, and glorious history of the Mizo community.

The museum is named after Ropuiliani, a 19th-century Mizo woman chieftain. She opposed British colonial rule and is remembered for her contributions to the tribal independence movement.

Tribal education and employment will receive a boost

In addition to inaugurating the projects, Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for 19 new Eklavya Model Residential Schools. These schools will further strengthen efforts to provide quality education to tribal children.

In addition, he laid the foundation stone for 12 Tribal Multipurpose Marketing Centers (TMMCs) to provide better market access to tribal producers and increase sales opportunities for their products.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 42 other projects under PM-JANMAN and DAJGUA.

During the event, PM Modi also interacted with beneficiaries of various tribal development and welfare schemes of the Central Government.

CM Devendra Fadnavis expresses gratitude to PM Modi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the event. Referring to Jharkhand’s tribal identity and the glorious history of the tribal community, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for declaring 2021 as Tribal Pride Day.

Fadnavis said, “I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dedicating 2021 to Tribal Pride Day. He stated that honoring tribal leaders is honoring India, and the birth anniversary of Dharti Aba Bhagwan Birsa Munda will be celebrated as Tribal Pride Day across the country.”

He further expressed his gratitude to the central government for providing Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, the opportunity to host this event.

Fadnavis said that the tribal community has a glorious history and a rich culture. Whenever the country was attacked, tribal communities played a key role in the struggle to defend the country. However, these tribal heroes have not received their due place in history.

He said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, it was decided to re-examine the contributions of these heroes. Today, these great leaders are being remembered in history again.

Why is Tribal Pride Day celebrated on November 15th?

Tribal Pride Day is celebrated every year on November 15th to mark the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. He was born in 1875 into the Munda tribal community. He led the tribal resistance movement against British rule and established himself as one of the prominent freedom fighters of tribal society.

In the late 19th century, Birsa Munda led a religious and socio-political movement in the tribal areas of present-day Bihar and Jharkhand. He united tribal communities against the exploitation and atrocities of British rule.

Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on November 15th, 2000, and created a new state. November 15th was chosen as the date for this date, which also coincides with Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary.

Birsa Munda, famous as ‘Dharti Aba’, is still considered a symbol of tribal identity, struggle, self-respect and pride.