VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the beneficiaries of welfare schemes today are examples of social justice and “real secularism”, as he slammed the previous regimes for coming up with their schemes while “sitting in air-conditioned rooms”.
Addressing a public rally in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, Modi said the schemes earlier were meant for a select few and the past governments did not seek feedback from the ground.
“Ensuring self-respect for the poor is a Modi guarantee,” he said.
Varanasi was the second stop on Modi’s Uttar Pradesh trip. Earlier, in Gorakhpur, he addressed the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Gita Press. He also launched two new Vande Bharat Express trains at an event at Gorakhpur station.
While at the Gorakhpur event, he talked about combining development with respect for the country’s heritage, in Varanasi the focus was on welfare schemes. Development projects were unveiled at both places.
Varanasi’s 29 new projects are worth Rs 12,100 crore.
Modi said the biggest complaint against the previous governments was that the welfare schemes were made “sitting in air-conditioned rooms”.
“They never got to know what the impact of the schemes was on the ground,” he said, adding that now there is dialogue and “direct feedback” from the intended beneficiaries.
He said the benefit of democracy has reached the right people now, so many years after Independence. Earlier, only a select few benefited, he added. “The poor had no say.”
The prime minister said previously the welfare schemes were meant to help “one family and one generation”. But his government keeps in mind the benefit of future generations as well, he claimed.
“Under the BJP government, the beneficiary category has become an example of real social justice and real secularism,” the prime minister said.
He said corruption in welfare schemes has ended, and there is no discrimination.
Attacking the previous regimes, Modi said, “The parties which gave corrupt and failed governments, now get disturbed upon getting to know the names of beneficiaries.”
“Now, the government is itself taking the benefits of the schemes to the beneficiaries, shutting the shops of those indulging in corruption,” he said.
Stressing that these schemes have provided financial safety for women and helped the poor, the prime minister said, “The poor and the deprived have the most right over the country’s resources.”
“Small traders mostly belong to the deprived sections of society. The earlier governments gave them nothing but humiliation and harassment. They were abused.
“But Modi, the son of a poor mother, cannot bear their humiliation. No one will be able to abuse them now, self-respect for the poor is the guarantee of Modi,” he said.
Continuing his diatribe against previous governments, Modi said, “Dishonesty was in the foundation of governance for those who ruled for years. The situation was such that no amount of funds was enough.”
“But now there is no dearth of funds for development. The system is the same but the government and its intention has changed,” he said.
Modi said the biggest example of change in nine years is the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. “It was started in 2006 but nothing was done till 2014. Not even a one km of tracks was laid,” he claimed.
Modi said the country always wanted high-speed trains.
“But the Rajdhani Express trains could operate only on 16 routes in 50 years and Shatabdi Express trains could run only on 19 routes in 30 to 35 years.
“On the other hand, there is Vande Bharat Express. In four years, it has started to run on 25 routes and is a super hit. Demand for it is coming from everywhere,” the prime minister claimed.
In Varanasi, Modi launched the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Son Nagar railway line of the Dedicated Freight Corridor.
Modi also dedicated to the nation three railway lines whose electrification or doubling has been completed at a cost of more than Rs 990 crore. They are the Ghazipur city-Aunrihar, Aunrihar-Jaunpur and Bhatni-Aunrihar lines.
The four-laning of the Varanasi-Jaunpur section of NH-56, completed at a cost of more than Rs 2,750 crore, was also unveiled.
Other projects inaugurated by the prime minister here included roads, and a girls’ hostel building.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the Gorakhpur and Varanasi events.
