Ranchi, Oct 1 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Pradhan Mantri-Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA) in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh on Wednesday (October 2), to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

This initiative aims to uplift tribal-dominated villages and will economically empower the tribal population.

Following the launch of the scheme, PM Modi will also address the concluding rally of the BJP's ‘Parivartan Yatra’, a statewide campaign in Jharkhand.

The PM will visit Jharkhand on Wednesday, his second visit to the state in just over two weeks.

On September 15, he inaugurated six Vande Bharat Express trains in Jamshedpur and addressed a BJP rally.

The upcoming visit is significant, as this will be the fourth time when PM Modi will be launching a key national scheme from Jharkhand.

Previous launches include the Ayushman Bharat Yojana (2018), PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana (2019), and the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in November 2023.

The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan, approved by the Union Government on September 18, aims to integrate over 63,000 tribal-dominated villages across 549 districts in 30 states and Union Territories into the mainstream of development.

With a proposed budget of Rs 79,156 crore, the scheme targets over 5 crore people from tribal communities.

Key objectives include constructing 20 lakh houses, 25,000 km of rural roads and bridges, and providing clean drinking water, gas, and electricity connections.

Under the scheme, 100 tribal market centres, schools, mobile health units, and skill development centres will be established.

The initiative also focuses on preserving tribal culture and traditions at the same time encouraging agriculture and horticulture to boost tribal incomes.

Official sources said that after the launch event at Vinoba Bhave University campus in Hazaribagh, PM Modi will also interact with the representatives of 33 tribal groups of the country.

In his second event of the day, the PM will address the BJP's ‘Parivartan Yatra’ at Gandhi Maidan, Matwari in Hazaribagh.

The Yatra, which was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Sahibganj, began on September 20, and has covered 76 of the state's 81 Assembly constituencies.