shimla: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Shimla to a warm welcome on Tueday said the poverty in the country was on decline and claimed it as result of Direct Benefit Schemes (DBS) his government has introduced –post 2014 to improve conditions of poor, weaker sections and underprivileged communities across the country.
He asserted that India's borders were more secure than before and reminded about the surgical strike to smash terrorists training camps in Pakistan after the Uri attack on Indian army's base camp.
Addressing an impressive public meeting - Garib Kalyan Sammelan at Shimla's ridge to mark eight years of the central government, Modi reaffirmed his resolution to ensure that benefits of the welfare scheme reach every single household.
Since HImachal Pradesh will go to the polls this year, the Prime Minister's visit holds quite a significance. He is also slated to arrive at Dharamshala on May 16.
The Prime Minister, who also held a road show, gave up his vehicle to walk on the Mall road to receive the greetings of the people who also showered rose petals on his cavalcade. He also released Rs 21,000 cr as 11th instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi to benefit nearly 10 cr small farmers.
Addressing the rally, Modi targeted the Congress regime (pre-2014 era) for corruption, scams and nepotism in the country as newspaper headlines used to flash such unsavoury things almost every day.
"Before 2014, corruption was viewed as an essential part of government. The newspaper headlines used to be of loot and khasoot, corruption, scams, nepotism, bureaucracy, latki , bhatki schemes," he said.
"Today there is discussion about the schemes of the government, which have improved the lives of many people. Sama Devi ( beneficiary ) from Sirmaur says that she has got this benefit.
Today there is a discussion in the world about Ease of Doing Business in the World Bank. Now the government of the country is not a maibap but a government servant. The government is working to make life easier, not to interfere in life," Modi further said.
He said India's start-ups were being talked about globally. The country is not only meeting its own needs from the things being manufactured in India but also supplying to different countries, he said.
The Prime Minister said India has dealt with the Covid situation very effectively and now more than 150 countries have been getting medicine and vaccination that are being manufactured in India. Baddi and Barotiwala pharmaceutical belts have also played an important role in this.
Modi said that in the last eight years, he did not "even once" see himself as a PM but as a servant of the people. "I only sign documents as Prime Minister," he said, which is his constitutional duty else he does not himself find different from citizens of the country.
"In the last 8 years, not even once did I envision myself as PM. Only when I sign documents do I have the responsibility of PM but as soon as the file is gone, I'm no longer a PM...I'm just a Pradhan Sevak of 130 cr people who're everything in my life and my life is also for you," he said.
The Prime Minister also interacted with the beneficiaries of (PM-KISAN) across the country. He interacted with Tashi Tundup from Ladakh, Lalita Devi from Bihar, Pankaj Shani from West Tripura, Santoshi from Kalburgi of Karnataka, Arvind from Mehsana Gujarat virtually and with Sama Devi of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh actually at The Ridge Shimla.
Narendra Modi, while appreciating the good work done by the Jai Ram Thakur Government in the state during the pandemic, said that the Himachal Pradesh government has shown the way to other States of the country by becoming first in administering first and second doses of the covid-19 vaccine.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while welcoming the Prime Minister, thanked him for choosing Shimla the capital of Himachal Pradesh for organizing the Garib Kalyan Sammelan. He said that it was due to his affection towards the State and its people, that Himachal Pradesh has got central schemes worth more than Rs 10,000 crore during the last four and a half years.