President Droupadi Murmu took part in a 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' programme in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh during her two-day visit to the state this week. On the same day, the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act was also officially implemented in the state, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters. President Murmu later attended a civic reception to be hosted in her honour at the Raj Bhawan in the state capital Bhopal and virtually laid the foundation stones for projects of the Union ministries of Defence and Road Transport and Highways.

Under the Ministry of Defence, the President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will laid the foundation stone of Maximum Microbial Containment Laboratory (BSL-4) at the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior.

She also laid the foundation stone for four-laning of the Ratapani-Obeidullaganj-Itarsi section of National Highway-46.

Murmu also addressed a conference of women's self-help groups (SHGs) in Bhopal before returning to New Delhi. The government had last year declared November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ on the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda to remember the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

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