VARANASI: Taking a swipe at the ‘garibi hatao’ campaign of Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said those who could not bring any real change in the lives of the poor or even open bank accounts for them during their five-decade rule were now questioning his government.
The Prime Minister, on his first trip to his Lok Sabha constituency in over eight months, claimed poverty alleviation measures have lacked a proper direction and they are spoken about during election time as a “tradition”.
He also took a dig at the critics of his “Jan Dhan Yojana”, saying had they helped the poor open bank accounts earlier they would have been spared the worry about operation of the recently opened accounts under the scheme.
“What these people could not do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months, I have come here to tell this,” Modi said.
“We have been hearing about ‘garibi hatao’ for the last 40-50 years. In elections also, we have been hearing about poverty alleviation programs for poor. It has become a tradition in politics to talk about the poor and their welfare. There is need to come out of this tradition,” Modi said.
He said till now all experiments in this regard have not yielded the desired results and “we have not been able to bring the desired changes in the lives of the poor.
“I don’t want to blame any government, but want to focus on things that the poor can come out of poverty,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister wondered why none of the educated ever questioned any politician in the past as to why bank accounts were not opened for the poor.
“Banks were nationalized but it did not help the poor to gain access to these financial institutions.
“No educated person has ever asked any politician why bank accounts were not opened for the poor. It was taken for granted,” he said, adding that under the PM’s Jan Dhan Yojna over 18 crore bank accounts were opened and the poor have deposited Rs 30,000 crore of their money in such accounts after his government was formed.
“Those who did not open any bank accounts for the poor are today seeking my accountability on the issue. They are worried whether the new bank accounts we opened are operational.
“It would have been much better had these people worked in last 40-50 years to open doors of banks to poverty stricken people. They would not have to ask me such questions today. What these people could not do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months, I have come here to tell them this,” he said.
Modi stressed on skill development and said if technology is allowed to enter the lives of the poorest of the poor, they can earn more and become self-reliant.
He earlier distributed 101 E-rickshaws and another 501 cycle-rickshaws to poor people who never owned a rickshaw in their lifetime.
Modi said this program is not just to change the lives of a few people but a new beginning that will change the future of ‘Kashi’ and its poor.
“Due to these things, things will start moving fast and the town will get a new identity and the common man’s lives will improve,” he said.
This was the Prime Minister’s third visit to the ancient temple town after assuming office in May last.
The much-awaited tour comes eight months after his last visit on December 25 last year. Two of his previous proposed visits were cancelled due to heavy rainfall in June and July.
The Prime Minister said the poor want to give a bright future to their future generations and asked them to ensure that their children are educated.
He talked about the skill development initiative by his government and said by enhancing their skills, they can earn better livelihood and bring a change in their life.
“Our attempt is towards this,” he said addressing the gathering at a ground in the Cantonment area.
“There have been numerous schemes aimed at poverty alleviation but these have not yielded desired results.
“That is where our thrust on skill development and the use of modern technology becomes important,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister earlier shook hands and chatted with some of the beneficiaries who stood beside e-rickshaws decorated with flowers.
“I got a chance to speak to some of those who have been given e-rickshaws today. They have been imparted proper training to drive the vehicle, which they would own within a year or two after repaying loans that have been made available to them on low interest rates,” Modi said.
“They are upbeat over the prospect of earning a little more by exerting themselves a little less. And they are now also looking forward to ensure adequate education for their children, which is the cheapest and the surest way to break the vicious cycle of poverty,” Modi said.
“We need to appreciate the intelligence of the poor people and their willingness to innovate,” he said.
The program organized by Rickshaw Sangh here was also attended by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and State Jail Minister Balram Yadav. Top officials of the America Indian Foundation, which is one of the organizers of the rickshaw distribution drive, and financial institutions like IDBI, SIDBI, UCO Bank and Bharatiya Micro Credit shared the stage with the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister said that the plying of e-rickshaws by well-trained drivers “will not only improve the lives of the poor people who are direct beneficiaries, but also transform the ancient city of Kashi” and leave a favorable impact on tourists and pilgrims.
“I am confident that such arrangements will help bring the poor out of poverty and help them move forward. I urge all those getting a rickshaw, if you have anger against me, to express it is your right. But do not deprive your children from education. The biggest tool against poverty is education.
Things will start changing soon,” he said.
He also lauded the women of Varanasi who in large numbers had sent him ‘rakhis’. He said the day was celebrated as ‘Suraksha Bandhan’ among the people of Varanasi.
Modi would be meeting a delegation of ‘Shiksha Mitras ‘ or contractual teachers in state-run primary schools of Uttar Pradesh.
The ‘Shiksha Mitras’ are agitating following a recent order of the Allahabad High Court which declared as “illegal” the move of the Samajwadi Party government in the state to regularize their services in violation of the norms laid down by the National Council for Teachers Education and the Right to Education Act.
Modi, who won in the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi and Vadodara, but gave up the seat in his home state to retain this eastern UP constituency, is also likely to meet a number of local BJP leaders.
The party had put up its best ever performance in the last Lok Sabha elections, gaining a majority on its own and winning 71 out of 80 seats in UP.
Assembly elections in UP are about a year and a half away and the party, which lacks a strong state-level leadership, is hoping of putting up a good show by virtue of Modi’s charisma.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate a trauma centre situated inside the Benares Hindu University. He will also inaugurate Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), for which the Centre is providing a budgetary outlay of more than Rs 45,000 crore.
The scheme promises to ensure 24X7 power supply to people across the country.
Out of the total budgetary support by the Centre, more than Rs 3,000 crore are allocated for Uttar Pradesh with about Rs 600 crore said to be earmarked for Varanasi itself.
Other projects to be inaugurated by the PM include a new railway reservation counter which would be situated near the Ramnagar Post Office, a 16-km-long ‘Ring Road’ which would involve a cost of more than Rs 250 crore and make the journey to and from neighboring districts like Jaunpur, Azamgarh and Ghazipur a lot easier.
The Prime Minister will also lay down the foundation stone for four-laning of the road connecting the Babatpur airport on the outskirts of the city to the Kutchery premises which would go a long way in decongesting traffic on the routes connecting the airport to the city.
Modi would address a public meeting before leaving for Babatpur airport for his return journey.
Earlier, the Prime Minister reached the venue straight from the Babatpur airport where he was received, among others, by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.–PTI
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