New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said tribal communities had suffered the most due to Naxal violence, as he accused previous governments of leaving them to fend for themselves.

He also said that tribal communities were denied voting rights by Naxals, but previous governments remained mute spectators.

Addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, virtually on the 151st birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, Modi said tribal communities had always stood up against injustice.

He said his government had made concerted efforts to develop tribal areas that had long lacked basic facilities, allocating more than Rs 1 lakh crore for their development. Highlighting his government's poverty alleviation efforts, the prime minister said bringing 50 crore people out of extreme poverty was among India's biggest achievements since Independence.

On the occasion, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 246 development projects worth around Rs 3,000 crore aimed at strengthening education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities and community infrastructure in tribal areas.

Of the 246 projects, 173 were inaugurated, including 38 Eklavya Model Residential Schools for tribal students and 100 Multi-Purpose Centres under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).