Tribals bore brunt of Naxal violence

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said tribal communities had suffered the most from Naxal violence, accusing previous governments of leaving them to fend for themselves. He also said Naxals had denied tribal communities their voting rights, while previous governments had remained mute spectators.

Addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, virtually on the 151st birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, Modi said tribal communities had always stood up against injustice. He said his government had made concerted efforts to develop tribal areas that had long lacked basic facilities, allocating more than Rs 1 lakh crore for their development. Highlighting his government’s poverty alleviation efforts, the prime minister said bringing 50 crore people out of extreme poverty was among India’s biggest achievements since Independence.

On the occasion, Modi inaugurated 173 development projects and laid the foundation stones for 73 others, taking the total to 246 projects worth around Rs 3,000 crore. The projects aim to strengthen education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities and community infrastructure in tribal areas.