The Ministry of Tribal Affairs will observe Janjatiya Gaurav Pakhwada across India from November 1 to 15, 2026, culminating in Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on November 15 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The fortnight serves as a focused drive to accelerate the Ministry's flagship programmes and deliver benefits to tribal families at the last mile while building awareness of schemes and entitlements among tribal communities, students, and citizens.
The celebration includes over 300 projects for tribal communities across states, with 228 projects ready for inauguration and 74 for foundation stone laying. Notable infrastructure projects include a new Tribal Research Institute building in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, and the Ropuiliani Tribal Freedom Fighter Museum at Kelsih, Mizoram.
Two national digital initiatives will be launched: the Jan-HIT (Janjatiya Health Intelligence and Technology) Portal developed with ICMR, which is India's first platform for tribe-disaggregated health data covering 20 States, and the National FRA Digital Platform that will digitize the entire forest rights claims process under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 from Gram Sabha submission to digitally signed titles.
Key events during the fortnight include an interaction between 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools students and the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 12, the National Tribal Literary Festival at India Habitat Centre on November 12-13, a national workshop at IIT Delhi on strengthening Adi Vaani as Tribal Living Heritage, the Rani Durgavati Adivasi Mahila Sammelan with 500 tribal women entrepreneurs from 30 States/UTs on November 14, and health-nutrition scheme camps for PVTGs at PM-JANMAN Multi-Purpose Centres from October 15 to November 15.
Additional activities include a Tribal Healers capacity building conclave training 1,500 traditional healers from 9 States/UTs in Hyderabad on November 1-2, the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan engaging 1.54 lakh Adi Karmayogi Volunteers across 76,963 villages, scholarship access camps in 73 districts assisting students with applications and Aadhaar seeding, and a medicinal plant conservation program for 200-300 species launched with CSIR-NBRI at Koraput, Odisha.
States and UTs are celebrating through their Tribal Research Institutes with more than 160 activities planned in 19 States/UTs expecting over 100,000 participants. These include cultural festivals, exhibitions, competitions in schools and EMRS, welfare and livelihood camps, tribal carnivals in Andhra Pradesh, Adivasi Kala and Khel Samagam in Goa, Bhagwan Birsa Munda Pavilion in Odisha, Tribal Music Festival in Shillong, and tribal art and craft fair at Amdavad Haat, Gujarat. States will also conduct Aadhaar and scholarship camps, sickle cell screening, Ayushman card camps for PVTGs, and legal literacy camps on forest rights.