PM Modi to visit Dediapada on Birsa Munda birth anniversary, unveil ₹9,700-crore projects for tribal areas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Dediapada in Gujarat’s tribal-dominated Narmada district on Saturday to address a public meeting to mark the birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

Ahead of the event, the Prime Minister will inspect the under-construction high-speed rail station in Surat around 10 am to review the progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed ​​Rail Corridor (MAHSR). The 47-km Surat-Bilimora section is at an advanced stage of completion with civil works and rail bed laying fully completed.

Mr Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 9,700 crore in the Narmada region focusing on tribal welfare, infrastructure, health, education and heritage, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

On Friday, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and state Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel reviewed the preparations in Dediapada. Before addressing the meeting, Mr. Sanghavi said the Prime Minister will offer prayers at the temple of Pandori Mata, the clan deity of the tribal community, located at Devmogra village in Sagbara taluka, 23 kilometers from Dediapada.

The Prime Minister will perform pooja and darshan at Devmogra Temple on Saturday afternoon. Later, the Prime Minister will visit Dediapada and participate in the program organized on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda,” the PIB said in a statement.

“On the occasion, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various infrastructure and development projects costing more than ₹ 9,700 crore and will also address the meeting. The Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of numerous development projects aimed at uplifting tribal communities and improving infrastructure in rural and remote areas of the district,” the statement said.

It was stated that Mr. Modi will take part in the ‘grih pravesh’ of 100,000 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JAGUA).

“The Prime Minister will inaugurate 42 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) worth around 1,900 crore allocated to tribal students; 228 Multi-Purpose Centres, which will act as hubs for community-led activities; Competence Center at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh and Tribal Research Institute (TRI) building at Imphal, Manipur for preservation of tribal culture and heritage,” the statement said.

In addition, Mr. Modi will flag off 250 buses for 14 tribal districts of Gujarat, lay the foundation stones of 748 kilometers of new roads to improve connectivity in tribal areas and lay the foundation stone of 14 Tribal Multi-Marketing Centers (TMMCs) that will serve as community centers under DA-JAGUA.

It will also lay the foundation stone of 50 new Eklavya Model Residential Schools worth over ₹2,320 crore, furthering the government’s commitment to providing quality education to tribal children.