[ad_1]
“Tribal men and women who made valiant contributions to the freedom struggle had been erased from the official narrative. They now have been given the due they always deserved but which was denied to them,” said the PM.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahostav’
Inaugurating the Aadi Mahotsav, the national tribal festival which has emerged as an important platform to showcase and celebrate arts and crafts of the tribes, the PM said the tribals, with their rich and diverse traditions, make a major contribution to the country’s cultural richness. Drawing an analogy with the colours of a rainbow coming together, the PM said the nation’s magnificence comes to the fore when its infinite diversities are threaded into the string of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat’ and that is when India provides guidance to the entire world.
Modi said the country is working for the tribal population with a sense of pride that has not been seen earlier. He also said the way tribals have protected their traditions while embracing modernity can lay the foundation for a developed India being sought to be forged. “Today, India tells the world that if you want solutions for challenges like climate change, global warming then come and see the traditional way of tribal life… you will find the way,” said Modi.
PM Modi inaugurates ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ in Delhi
The PM made these assertions in his address after inaugurating the Mahotsav in Delhi where he also said that welfare of tribals “is a matter of personal relationship and emotions” for him. Elaborating further, Modi remembered his close association with the tribal communities during his days as a social worker in the organisation before he joined active politics.
With 2023 being observed as the International Year of Millets, the PM lay emphasis on bringing focus on tribal millets which will be one of the key highlights of the festival that will go on till February 27 at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate. Aadi Mahotsav is an initiative of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation Limited (TRIFED) under the ministry of tribal affairs. This year it brings together over 200 stalls at the venue where around 1000 tribal artisans will participate in the Mahotsav.
More than 3 crore tribals benefitted in 110 aspirational districts in the country: PM Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha
Upon arriving at the venue, the PM paid floral tributes to tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda and then visited the stalls. In his speech, underlining the contributions of the tribal society in the struggle for India’s independence, the PM without naming anyone lamented the attempts made for decades to ignore these golden chapters and the sacrifices made by men and women from the tribal community. Modi highlighted the steps taken by his government to bring these forgotten chapters of the past to the fore and said, “For the first time, the country has started celebrating Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda”.
He highlighted that this is the first time in 75 years of India’s independence that the leadership of the country is in the hands of a tribal woman who is making India proud at the highest office in the form of President.
The PM’s outreach gains significance as 2023 is all set to see crucial assembly elections in states with significant tribal population like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and northeastern states Tripura (that went to polls on Thursday), Meghalaya and Nagaland. Also, with the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024, the PM’s speech sends out a strong message.
Setting out the government’s focus areas for welfare and empowerment of tribals, Modi amog arious highlighted that the budgetary allocation for the community has risen manifold since 2014.
“Tribal children, be they in any corner of the country, their education and their future is my priority”, said the Prime Minister. He informed that the number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools has gone up by 5 times from 80 schools between 2004-2014 to 500 schools from 2014 to 2022 and more than 400 schools have already started functioning, teaching about one lakh children.
He added that the youth who used to get trapped in the trap of separatism due to isolation and neglect, are now connecting with the mainstream through internet and infra. “This is the sound of the confluence of Aadi and Aadhunikta (modernity), on which the soaring edifice of New India will stand.”
The PM also highlighted the efforts of the government in promoting tribal products. Giving the example of bamboo, the Prime Minister noted that the previous government had prohibited the harvest and use of bamboo but it was the present government that included bamboo in the category of grass and abolished the prohibition.
#Modi #Ahead #key #polls #Modi #reaches #tribal #communities #India #News
