Centre’s Jan Bhagidari Abhiyan reaches 90 lakh tribal citizens across 57,000 villages

THe Centre’s nationwide Jan Bhagidari Abhiyan, launched below the Janjatiya Garima Utsav 2026, reached nearly 90 lakh tribal citizens crosswise most 57,000 villages and facilitated the legal transfer of sir thomas more than 13.5 lakh welfare benefits, according to a report released by the ministry of tribal affairs.The campaign, organised under the theme “Sabse Door, Sabse Pehle”, was aimed at extending government services to tribal communities living in remote and underserved regions through a combination of grievance-redressal programmes, benefit saturation camps, health drives and community outreach initiatives.ALSO READ | UP aims to replicate ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ success in higher educationNationwide coverage across statesAccording to the report, the campaign covered 30 states and Union Territories, around 600 districts and nearly 19,000 Adi Seva Kendras. More than 76,000 camps and outreach activities were conducted during the exercise.Officials said the initiative sought to strengthen last-mile delivery of welfare schemes by bringing multiple government services to tribal habitations and enabling direct interaction between citizens and the administration.13,000 Jan Sunwai programmesThe report shows that approximately two lakh grievances were heard through nearly 13,000 Jan Sunwai programmes organised across tribal areas. Authorities also facilitated the enrolment of around 2.27 lakh Ayushman Bharat cards and 1.76 lakh Aadhaar cards during the campaign.“Healthcare emerged as a major focus area, with over 1.35 lakh screenings conducted for tuberculosis and sickle cell disease, ailments that disproportionately affect tribal populations in several parts of the country. Health and preventive care drives were organised alongside welfare camps to improve awareness and access to medical services. The campaign also witnessed extensive distribution of benefits linked to welfare schemes, including ration cards, pensions, PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi registrations, MGNREGA job cards and insurance coverage under government-backed social security programmes,” said a senior ministry official, asking not to be named.State-level innovations and local initiatives played a key role in the campaign’s implementation.ALSO READ | PM Modi distributes 51,000 appointment letters at Rozgar Mela, says nation trusts youAndhra Pradesh integrates digital grievance systemIn Andhra Pradesh, authorities integrated the state’s Public Grievance Redressal System with the “Mana Mitra” WhatsApp governance platform, enabling tribal residents to register complaints digitally and track their resolution through SMS alerts. More than 6,300 grievances relating to housing, water supply, roads, pensions and identity documents were reported during the drive.Assam's sports approachAssam combined welfare outreach with sports, veterinary services and fisheries-related interventions. Tribal fishermen were registered on the National Fisheries Development Corporation portal to access central government benefits, while several districts conducted livestock treatment camps and vaccination drives.Bihar intensifies health screeningBihar recorded over 15,500 grievances during the campaign and undertook extensive health screening activities, including more than 85,000 sickle cell screenings. Officials said the exercise helped identify gaps in service delivery and facilitated faster enrolment under welfare programmes.Bengal deploys mobile healthcare unitsIn West Bengal, mobile medical units were deployed in remote tribal areas to provide doorstep healthcare services, diagnostics and maternal health support. Saturation camps in difficult terrain also assisted residents in obtaining caste certificates and correcting official documents.The report highlights that Jan Bhagidari Abhiyan was not limited to welfare distribution but also focused on enhancing citizen participation in governance. Transect walks, community meetings and awareness campaigns were organised to identify local development needs and encourage public involvement in planning and implementation.Another ministry official described the initiative as a step towards strengthening trust between tribal communities and government institutions. “The campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of converging multiple departments at the grassroots level to deliver services more efficiently. The outcomes of the campaign reflect the aspirations and growing participation of tribal communities in the country’s development process. The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Viksit Bharat @2047”, which emphasises inclusive growth and community participation,” the officer said.He further said the experience gained through the campaign would be used to further strengthen tribal welfare programmes and improve access to government services in some of the country’s most remote regions.