New Delhi, Nov. 15 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said nearly 50 crore people had moved out of extreme poverty over the past 12-13 years and claimed that the country had become free from Naxalism and Maoist terror, describing the two developments as major achievements closely linked to the lives of India's tribal communities.

Addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli through video conferencing, Modi said the government had prioritised tribal regions that had remained deprived of basic facilities for decades and allocated more than Rs.1 lakh crore for the PM-JANMAN scheme and the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan.

"Priority to the deprived has been our priority," he said, adding that ...