Committed to Dalit welfare: PM

With his government under attack over the Dalit student' s suicide in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government was committed to the welfare of Dalits, poor and oppressed.

At a function to distribute aides to differently-abled people in his constituency, the PM referred to Dalits, but made no mention of the controversy over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar in Hyderabad Central University over which two of his ministers have come under attack. 

"This government is dedicated to the poor, Dalits, oppressed and deprived and will attempt to do something for those who have to suffer in life. This government is committed to the welfare of the poor and how their lives can be changed and this government has been making constant efforts in this regard," he said.

Modi said he is under tremendous attack all the time and attempts are made to pitchfork him in into controversies but he would not digress from his path of working for the poor. "Sometimes it seems the entire world is after me. Since morning I am under attack from all corners. Their attempt is to make Modi digress from his path and make him embroil in controversies," the PM said.

"But my mantra is to help the poor and downtrodden and that is why I remain unfazed. All this is happening as the system is changing and middlemen are being eradicated," he said.

"The nut bolts are being tightened, shops are being shut and that is why these problems are cropping up. Such people are being bothered but I am not. If I am pained, it is due to the plight of the poor and their problems and not because of the problems of middlemen," he said.

Calling for a change in mindset towards differently-abled, the Prime Minister said they should be addressed as "divyang" instead of "viklang" and people should view the special powers God has given to such people instead of their shortcomings.

Modi expressed his government's resolve to ensure dignity and empowerment of the differently-abled. 

"Whenever we label a person as handicapped, our eyes begin to search for a particular body part which may be deformed, severed or lacking in strength. This attitude must change as it makes people lose sight of the extraordinary capabilities that such an unfortunate person may be endowed with," he said. He also announced starting the 'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan' to provide facilities to such people in government offices and help make their lives comfortable and if need be some rules may also be changed to enable such things.

The Prime Minister announced that every government building henceforth will have facilities like ramps and toilet seats for the differently-abled.

Modi also distributed motorised tricycles, hearing aids, specially-designed smart phones, tablets and other such appliances to more than 9,000 people with physical or mental disabilities.

He said the NDA government has, since coming to power less than two years ago, organized more than 1800 such camps. "Events like these underscore our government's commitment to the issue, which is demonstrably greater than all the previous regimes that have been in place since 1992, when a separate department for the welfare of the disabled came into being. Such events also go a long way in eliminating middlemen," Modi added. 

The Prime Minister said "persons with disabilities, when given a chance, do their society and country proud. Indian participants have often excelled in sporting events held for the differently-abled.

"Hence, we need to acknowledge that the society at large too has a moral responsibility towards them. Social attitudes take time to change," Modi said adding "our government will take the lead and we will ensure that all public buildings are equipped with facilities like ramps and specially-designed toilets." 

Twenty-two differently-abled people, on their way to Prime Minister's aid distribution programme here, were injured when a bus carrying them hit a pole under Kapsethi police station area, on Friday morning. The bus was carrying around 42 differently-abled people, SHO Ashok Chandra said. The injured have been referred to the government hospital in Varanasi, he said.