CM Dhami Opens Tribal Pride Day Celebrations Honouring Birsa Munda’s 150th Anniversary

On this occasion, he laid the foundation stone for Maharana Pratap Government College, Nanakmatta, to be built at a cost of ₹9.68 crore, and inaugurated a newly constructed building of the Nanakmatta Municipal Body built at a cost of ₹1 crore. During the programme, the Chief Minister made seven announcements. These include: construction of a bridge over the Kailash River at Sadhu Nagar; release of funds for the Rai Sikh Bhawan; development of Nanakmatta Dam as a tourist destination; financial assistance for the Sanatan Dharma Utthan Samiti building and temple construction; blacktopping of the road connecting Gyanpur–Barkidandi–Audli–Dohri Aistha B–Devipura–Gidhaur–Parsaini–Belpadav; provision of funds for an additional room for the Pahari Utthan Samiti; and naming the newly built bus stand in Khatima after Maharana Pratap.

Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami paid homage to Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his 150th birth anniversary and extended greetings to all on Tribal Pride Day. He said that this historic day is meant to honour the glorious traditions, struggles, sacrifices, and invaluable contributions of the tribal community to nation-building. He described Bhagwan Birsa Munda as an immortal symbol of honour, courage, and pride for the tribal society. The Chief Minister added that at a young age, Birsa Munda awakened a sense of freedom, rights, and dignity that united the tribal community and gave it a new direction.

He said that Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic decision to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Tribal Pride Day. Nearly ₹200 crore has been allocated for building museums across the country dedicated to tribal freedom fighters, honouring tribal culture and contributions. He expressed pride that Smt. Droupadi Murmu, belonging to the Santhal tribal community, is today the first citizen of the nation. The Prime Minister has also tripled the budget for tribal development, strengthening tribal communities nationwide.

The Chief Minister stated that initiatives like Eklavya Model Schools, PM Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan, Van Dhan Yojana, PM Janjati Vikas Mission, and various livestock and agriculture programmes have, for the first time, connected tribal communities to the mainstream of development. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is also continuously working to improve the living standards of tribal communities.

Under the PM Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan, 128 tribal villages in Uttarakhand have been selected for development. These villages will receive upgraded basic infrastructure, economic empowerment, better education, and improved health facilities. Four residential Eklavya schools are currently operational in the state—in Kalsi, Meherwana, Bajpur, and Khatima—providing free education and hostel facilities. New residential schools are rapidly being constructed in Chakrata (Dehradun) and Bajpur (Udham Singh Nagar). To encourage tribal children in education, scholarships are being provided from primary to postgraduate levels.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is currently operating 16 government Ashram-style schools for educational upliftment. Additionally, three ITIs are functioning to provide technical education to educated unemployed tribal youth. Free coaching and scholarships are being offered for competitive examinations. Financial assistance of ₹50,000 is being provided for the marriage of daughters from tribal families. A corpus fund of ₹1 crore has also been created for the Tribal Research Institute. Annual Tribal Festivals and Sports Festivals are being organized to preserve tribal culture.

Present on the occasion were MLA Gopal Singh Rana, former MLA Dr. Prem Singh Rana, District President Kamal Jindal, Nagar Panchayat Chairman Prem Singh Toorna, District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadoriya, Senior Superintendent of Police Manikant Mishra, and other dignitaries.

— Department of Information & Public Relations