New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a towering figure in the freedom struggle, on the commencement of the 150th birth anniversary year celebrations of the iconic leader for tribal empowerment.

In a post on social media platform X on Friday, the Prime Minister said, “Bhagwan Birsa Munda sacrificed everything to protect the dignity, freedom and glory of the motherland. I pay heartfelt tributes to him on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas that is celebrated to mark his birth anniversary.”

The Prime Minister will visit Jamui in Bihar today to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 6,640 crore in Bihar.

This step is aimed at uplifting tribal communities and improving infrastructure in rural and remote areas of the region.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, PM Modi will unveil a commemorative coin and postal stamp in honour of Birsa Munda at around 11 A.M. on Friday.

The Prime Minister will travel to a remote village in Jamui district, about 200 km from the state capital Patna, to celebrate "Janjatiya Gaurav Divas", as the day has come to be observed since 2021.

Incidentally, this is the PM's second tour of Bihar, where he, on Wednesday, laid the foundation stone for AIIMS at Darbhanga, one of the major cities in the state's northern region.

Jamui shares its borders with Jharkhand, where Assembly elections are underway.

The Prime Minister will also participate in the Grih Pravesh of 11,000 houses built under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).

He will also inaugurate 23 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) launched under PM-JANMAN and an additional 30 MMUs under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) to enhance healthcare access in tribal areas.

Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate 300 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) to promote tribal entrepreneurship and support livelihood generation and 10 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, worth around Rs 450 crore, dedicated to tribal students.

He will also inaugurate two tribal freedom fighters' museums in Chhindwara and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and two tribal research institutes in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, and Gangtok, Sikkim, to document and preserve the rich history and heritage of tribal communities.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of 500 km of new roads to improve connectivity in tribal regions and 100 Multi-Purpose Centres to act as community hubs under PM-JANMAN.

He will also lay the foundation stone of 25 additional Eklavya Model residential schools, worth more than Rs 1,110 crore, furthering the commitment of quality education for tribal children.

Prime Minister Modi will also sanction various development projects that include 25,000 new Awas under PM-JANMAN worth around Rs 500 crore and 1.16 lakh Awas under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) worth more than Rs 1,960 crore; 66 hostels under PM-JANMAN and 304 hostels under DAJGUA worth more than Rs 1,100 crore; 50 new Multi-Purpose Centres, 55 Mobile Medical Units and 65 Anganwadi Centres under PM-JANMAN; 6 Centres of Competency for Sickle Cell Anaemia elimination along with 330 projects for upgradation of Ashram Schools, hostels, Government Residential Schools among others under DAJGUA, worth around Rs 500 crore.