Akhara Development: Preservation of tribal culture and traditions

Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai has taken significant steps to develop the places of worship and reverence of tribal communities under the Akhara Development Scheme and to preserve their culture and traditions. The government has decided to develop Akhara sites to preserve and promote the ancient culture of the villages in the tribal areas of the state, such as traditional arts, folk tales, and rituals. For this purpose, a budget allocation of ₹2.5 crore has been made for this scheme in the financial year 2025-26. With the aim of promoting the tribal culture, traditions, and rituals of the state, the Chhattisgarh government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda on November 15th as Tribal Pride Day with great enthusiasm and respect. Last year, on the occasion of Tribal Pride Day held at the Science College ground in Raipur, Chief Minister Sai’s pledge to encourage the Baiga-Guniya-Sirha-Hathjod communities of the state and to develop the places of worship and cultural sites of the tribal community under the Akhara Development Scheme is a significant initiative towards the preservation and promotion of tribal culture.
Along with this, a provision has been made to provide a grant of ₹10,000 per group to tribal cultural troupes for the purchase of musical instruments. This scheme has benefited 1180 cultural troupes in the last two years. Similarly, under the Tribal Culture Preservation and Development Scheme, a provision of ₹5 lakh has been made for the construction and repair of places of worship and reverence (Devgudi) for tribals in tribal-dominated areas. Under this scheme, ₹15.975 crore has been sanctioned for eight hundred Devgudis in the last two years. The Chief Minister’s Tribal Param Samman Nidhi Yojana has been started with the objective of preserving the festivals, culture, and traditions of the tribals and transferring these festivals and celebrations in their original form to the coming generations, while documentation of cultural traditions has also been started. For this, ₹10,000 is being provided to each Gram Panchayat. In these two years, 11,266 Gram Panchayats have been provided with assistance of Rs. 11 crore 26 lakh 60 thousand. This year, on November 20th, last month, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda, President Draupadi Murmu visited Ambikapur and appealed to the people of the tribal community of the state to remember the heroic tales of the tribal leaders and follow in their footsteps. This is a matter of pride for Chhattisgarh.
It is noteworthy that on November 15th, on the 150th birth anniversary of Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Jamui in Bihar, called for the preservation and respect of the contributions of the tribal leaders and freedom fighters of the country. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given a new direction to the development of this community by forming a separate ministry for the welfare of the tribal community. Prime Minister Modi has launched two of the biggest schemes in the country for the upliftment of the tribal community. Under the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, a budget of Rs. 24,000 crore has been allocated, and for the Dharti Aaba Tribal Village Development Campaign, a budget of Rs. 80,000 crore has been allocated, due to which rapid development of basic facilities and improvement in the lives of tribals are taking place in tribal areas. More than 1.5 lakh Aadi Karmayogis have been trained in the state to ensure that the tribal community in the state benefits from both these schemes.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced the provision of Chief Minister’s Honorarium for the Baiga, Gunia, and Sirha people belonging to the tribal community of Chhattisgarh state on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Under this, they will be given financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 annually. The Chief Minister has also initiated a remarkable initiative to start the Akhara Construction Development Scheme for religious and auspicious functions in tribal villages and to install statues of martyrs from the tribal community at designated places. This has helped the government win the trust of the tribal community and is proving to be a milestone in the direction of preserving and promoting the culture and traditions of the tribals. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mr. Sai, the plan to honor the prominent figures of Chhattisgarh’s tribal community, the martyrs of tribal uprisings in the state, and the families of freedom fighters is a remarkable step towards respecting the tribal communities. Furthermore, exemplary work has been done by taking steps towards documenting the tribal folk arts and oral traditions of the state to enhance knowledge about them. The Chief Minister’s announcement regarding the development of tribal cultural centers reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern for the development and respect of the tribal community. The Prime Minister, in his resolve for a developed India by 2047, has expressed concern for the development of all backward sections of the country, including the upliftment of the tribal community as a priority. It is a result of this visionary thinking that today, through the Dharti Aaba Tribal Village Development Campaign and the PM Janman Yojana launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the lives of the people of the tribal community are being transformed.