Page 70 - Mann Ki Baat, October 2022
P. 70

Modi took over as the Prime        appreciate that the mainstream
                   'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'
                                                                                       Minister in 2014, the budget of the   narrative of the freedom struggle
           Enabling True Tribal Empowerment                                            Ministry was about of Rs. 21,000   propagated for the past several
                                                                                       crores. Today, it is in excess of Rs.   decades has sought to project
                                                                                       78,000 crores.                     the  movement  mainly  as  a
                                                                                           An unbiased observer can       political one. This narrative has
                                                                                       easily note that when the Prime    by design understated the role
                                           freedom struggle, Prime Minister            Minister discusses another key     of the revolutionaries, the tribals,
                                           Modi also talked of an issue that           central element of his basic       the  marginalized  and  also  the
                                           was close to Birsa Munda’s heart            approach    to  managing    the    fact that a large number of men
                                           and has also been an issue                  affairs of the country, that is    and women who gave their
                                           of great concern for himself.               ‘Sabka  Saath  Sabka  Vikas’  the   lives for our freedom had drawn
                                           He recollected Munda’s words                tribals are an important part of   inspiration from India’s cultural,
                                           ‘the earth is ours and we are its           this overall scheme. The world     spiritual and historical legacy. In
                                           protectors’.  This  line  of  thought,      is today taking note of how        this sense, Prime Minister Modi’s
                                           as we know, has been woven in               Prime Minister Modi has sought     ‘Mann ki Baat’ of 30  October has
                                                                                                                                           th
                                           the Prime Minister’s basic policy           to empower the vast sectors of     also filled important gaps in our
                                           of governance. In following this            population in a fundamental        historical narrative - a true and
            Prof. Raghuvendra Tanwar
                                           commitment towards protecting               manner by providing for roads,     needed course correction so to
         Professor Emeritus, Kurukshetra University
          & Chairman Indian Council of Historical   our environment, Prime Minister    homes, toilets, drinking water,    say.
           Research and Padma Shri Awardee
                                           Modi has infact been following              bank accounts, schools
                                           what has been prescribed in                 and  so  on.  The  numbers
                                           our ancient texts going back                that are mind boggling,
                                           thousands of years. Be it the               clearly impress on the
            In his 'Mann ki Baat', Prime   Bhagwan Birsa Munda's Museum                developmental miracle
        Minister Narendra Modi has been    inaugurated by the Prime Minister           that is taking place in
        sharing with millions of inspired   last year or the tribal museums            India   and   impacting
        countrymen issues which are        being set up across India at the            the   marginalised,  the
        close to his heart or which        cost of Rs. 200 crores, the idea            under privileged and the
        need to be shared as a public      obviously is to place in national           forgotten.
        discourse. On 30  October 2022,    psyche the rich and inspiring                   In his 30  October
                        th
                                                                                                    th
        in his address, the Prime Minister   legacy of our tribal brothers and         ‘Mann ki Baat’, the Prime
        referred to ‘the Janjatiya Gaurav   sisters.                                   Minister  also  referred
        Diwas’ to be commemorated             The  tribal  population  of  our         with    reverence    his
        on 15  November every year,        country is now about 10% of                 then proposed visit 1
              th
                                                                                                             st
        a practice the Prime Minister      our total population. Sadly, this           November  to Mangarh.
        initiated  last  year.  The  day   important section was treated               Mangarh is not just a
        marks the birth anniversary of     earlier as little more than an              place that witnessed a
        a hero among heroes of the         electoral vote bank. Incidentally, it       massacre of tribals by the
        freedom movement - Bhagwan         was the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's         British in 1913, but today,
        Birsa  Munda.  While  drawing  the   Government that created the               symbolizes a place of
        nation's attention to the life and   first Tribal Development Welfare          pride in our historical
        contribution of Birsa Munda in the   Ministry. When Prime Minister             legacy. It is important to

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