PM Modi strikes chord with tribals, says Ram incomplete without Shabari

NEW DELHI: Striking a chord with the tribals a week ahead of the January 22 Ayodhya Ram temple ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the story of Lord Ram was not possible without Mata Shabari.

The prime minister was interacting with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) virtually.

He said that Mata Shabari played a massive role in the transformation of Prince Ram to ‘Maryada Purushottam’ Ram.

“Dashrath’s son Ram emerged as Deenbandhu Ram only when he ate the ‘tasted’ berries of tribal Mata Shabari” Modi asserted, giving a sentimental touch to the tribal connection of Shabari with Lord Ram.

Citing Ramcharitmanas to underline the importance of the community, he said, “Be it the story of Rajaram in Treta or the current situation, welfare is not possible without the poor, deprived and the tribals”. As many as 4 crore permanent houses were built for the poor in the last 10 years, he added.

He also released the first installment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh beneficiaries of a rural housing scheme under PM-JANMAN via video conferencing. He claimed that the budget of many welfare schemes for the Scheduled Tribes has risen by five times and the scholarship for tribal students has grown two-and-a-half times in the last 10 years.

PM-JANMAN was launched for the socio-economic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on November 15 on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

As per official sources, the PM-JANMAN, with a budget of approximately ` 24,000 crore, focuses on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries and is aimed at improving socio-economic conditions of PVTGs by saturating PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.