Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part by video conference on Sunday, November 15, 2026, inaugurating and laying foundation stones for 246 projects across tribal regions with a stated cost of about Rs 3,000 crore and opening a Tribal Research Institute building in Itanagar and the Ropuiliani museum in Aizawl.
- Of the 246 projects, officials said 173 were inaugurated — including 38 Eklavya Model Residential Schools and 100 Multi-Purpose Centres under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) — while foundation stones were laid for 73 more, among them 19 new EMRS and 12 Tribal Multipurpose Marketing Centres.
- The government described the package as focused on strengthening education, healthcare, livelihoods and community infrastructure in tribal areas, with EMRS aimed at residential schooling for tribal children and marketing centres intended to improve producers’ access to markets.
- In his address Modi blamed previous governments for neglecting tribal communities, linked the new projects to reducing Naxal influence, and spoke directly with beneficiary families who described gains from schemes such as PM-JANMAN and local livelihood training.
- The programme marked the close of the Nov 1–15 Janjatiya Gaurav Pakhwada celebrating Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, a gesture that combines physical investment with cultural recognition and could change local service access and market opportunities if project rollout and upkeep are sustained.