Page 29 - NIS English 1-15 June, 2026

Priority to the Marginalised Cover Story

Years
of Vikas Yatra

Priority to the Marginalised-The Hallmark of
Good Governance

Today, work is being carried out across the country with a spirit of equity, resulting in the emergence of a large beneficiary
base over the past 12 years. Before 2014, a significant section of society was deprived of basic amenities. However, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi began his tenure by adopting the principle of prioritising the marginalised right from the outset. For
the first time, a government proactively reached out to those who had been denied the benefits of various schemes and facilities
for decades. As PM Modi often says, “Those whom no one reached, Modi reveres.” By attaining a life of dignity, these
individuals are now actively contributing to the nation’s development.

Promoting Tribal Heritage Extending Benefits and Facilities
to the Marginalised
n On March 13, 2024, PM Modi unveiled the ‘Pradhan
Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rojgar Adharit Jankalyan’
(PM-SURAJ) national portal. This portal symbolises
the government’s commitment to prioritising credit
assistance for marginalised sections of society.
1.15

crore street vendors to benefit
from the restructured PM
SVANidhi scheme. Loans have
already been disbursed to 74.90
lakh beneficiaries, and the
728 Eklavya Model Residential Schools were period for loan disbursement

sanctioned by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs;
extended till March 31, 2030.
of these, the construction of 428 school n Through robust policy interventions, significant
buildings has been completed, 249 are strides have been made in elevating the standard of
currently under construction, and 46 are in living for over 60 crore people and lifting 25 crore
the preconstruction phase. people above the poverty line.
n In 2021, November 15th was declared ‘Janjatiya Gaurav n More than 31.65 crore e-Shram cards have been issued.
Divas’ (Tribal Pride Day) to commemorate the birth This currently covers 14 social welfare schemes.
anniversary of the tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. n The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched
11 the e-Shram mobile application on February 24, 2025.

n The 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act of
2018 granted constitutional status to the National
tribal freedom fighter museums Commission for Backward Classes.
have been approved. To date,
four such museums have n During the financial year 2025-26, Rs 7,981.47 crore
been established across three was disbursed to over 75 lakh Scheduled Caste
states: one in Jharkhand, one beneficiaries, marking a significant increase in major
in Chhattisgarh, and two in scholarship schemes.
Madhya Pradesh, while work on
the remaining seven is currently n The Union Budget 2026-27 announced the ‘Divyang
underway. Kaushal Yojana’ and ‘Divyang Sahara Yojana’ for
persons with disabilities.

June 1-15, 2026 || NEW INDIA SAMACHAR 27