VIKSIT BHARAT SANKALP YATRA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government Schemes)

Context: On the occasion of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, marking the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda, Prime Minister of India flagged off the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from Khunti, Jharkhand.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

• Focus: To reach out to people, creating awareness about various welfare schemes. This includes essential services such as sanitation facilities, access to financial services, electricity connections, LPG cylinders, housing for the poor, food security, proper nutrition, reliable healthcare, and clean drinking water.
• Publicized Welfare Schemes: Such as - Ayushman Bharat, PMJAY, PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Har Ghar Jal - Jal Jeevan Mission, SVAMITVA, Jan Dhan Yojana, etc.
• Specific target: The campaign specifically addresses concerns in tribal areas, focusing on issues like Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, enrolment in Eklavya Model Residential Schools, scholarship schemes, forest right titles for both individuals and communities, and the establishment of Van Dhan Vikas Kendra through organizing Self Help Groups.
• Use of IEC Vans: Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) Vans are deployed to disseminate information through audio-visuals, brochures, pamphlets, booklets, and flagship standees. 

Birsa Munda

• About: Birsa Munda (1875-1900) was a prominent tribal leader, freedom fighter, and folk hero in India, known for his role in the tribal and religious rights movement during the colonial rule.
• Early Life: He was born on November 15, 1875 in the Munda tribe, an Adivasi community primarily residing in the Chotanagpur plateau region. He briefly attended the German Mission School after converting to Christianity but left when he discovered the British were using education to convert tribals to Christianity. He then developed a faith called ‘Birsait’.
• Religious movement: 

o Birsait Faith: It believed in One God and encouraged them to revert to their original religious beliefs. He was referred to as ‘Dharti Abba or Father of Earth’ by his followers.

o He led a socio-religious movement called the "Birsa Movement" or "Ulgulan" (meaning 'The Great Rebellion' or 'The Rebellion for Survival'). The movement aimed to reform the tribal society, revive their traditional customs, and protect their rights and land.

• Fight for land rights: Birsa and the tribal people joined the Sardar movement in 1894 to fight for the land and rights of tribals against the British.