Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch a commemorative Stamp and coin to mark the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda at an event scheduled in Jamui district of Bihar.

• The PM will also participate in the virtual “Griha Pravesh” of about 11,000 homes that have been constructed under the PM-JANMAN package and launch about 50 mobile medical units under the above-mentioned schemes.

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About Birsa Munda 

Early Life and Background

• Birth: He was born in 1875 in the village of Ulihatu, in the Mundari princely state of Khunti, and grew up in a time when the Munda people were facing increasing exploitation and displacement by British colonial rule and Hindu landlords.
  • His birth anniversary falls on 15th November, which is celebrated as ‘Birsa Munda Jayanti’.
• A Munda Leader: Birsa Munda was a tribal leader and religious reformer who belonged to the Munda tribe of Chotanagpur, a region in present-day Jharkhand and Odisha.
• Founded the faith of Birsait:  Blend of animism and indigenous beliefs which emphasised the worship of a single god.
• Given the nickname ‘Dharti Aba’ or the father of the earth.
• Legacy:
  • State of Jharkhand was created on his birth anniversary in 2000
  • The birth anniversary of Birsa Munda was declared ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ by the Central Government in 2021.

Significant Movements

• Mundaism: In the late 19th century, Birsa Munda founded a new religious movement known as “Mundaism” or “Kisangism”. 
• Aim: To revive traditional Munda customs and beliefs and unite the Munda people against their oppressors.
• Emphasis On: Birsa’s teachings emphasized the importance of self-reliance, social justice, and resistance against oppression. 
• Preachings: He preached that the Munda people should return to their traditional values and reject the influence of both British colonialism, missionaries.
• The Great Tumult Movement: Birsa’s movement, the Ulgulan or Great Tumult, arose in the Chotanagpur region of the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand). 
  • It mobilized Munda and Oraon tribals against forced labor, missionary activities, and colonial land appropriation.
• Death: The British arrested Birsa in 1895 and he died in prison in 1900. 
  • His death sparked violent protests and he became a martyr for tribal activism against the British.
• The impact of the Munda revolt was the establishment of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908. 
  • It restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribal owners, and recognized the tribal community’s customary rights to land, water, and forest. 
  • The act also introduced the “Mundari Khuntkattidar” tenure category, which recognized the original settlers of the land among the Mundas.

About PM-JANMAN

• Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November, 2023, in Khunti District, Jharkhand.
• Aims to reach 22,000 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in 200 districts across the country.
• Initial phase targets 100 districts covering 500 blocks and 15,000 PVTG habitations across 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • India has 10.45 crore Scheduled Tribe (ST) population, with 75 communities identified as PVTGs across 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 
• Campaign Objectives and Scope:
  • Objective: Saturate PVTG families with individual entitlements and provide basic facilities to habitations by raising awareness about their entitlements.
  • Providing Aadhar cards, community certificates, and Jan Dhan accounts as basic requirements for accessing other schemes.
  • Targeting unreached PVTG households due to distance, lack of road connectivity, and digital access.
  • Utilizing various locations like Haat Bazar, CSC, Gram Panchayat, etc., to reach PVTG communities.

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