Boosted spirit of enterprise our people are blessed with: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the Stand Up India campaign on the completion of its seven years and pointed out that the initiative had played a role in empowering the SC/ST communities and women.

Stand up India Scheme was launched on April 5, 2016, with a focus on economic empowerment and job creation.

The scheme aims to encourage all bank branches in extending loans to borrowers from SC, ST and women in setting up their own greenfield enterprises. “Today we mark #7YearsofStandUpIndia and acknowledge the role this initiative has played in empowering the SC/ ST communities and ensuring women empowerment. It has also boosted the spirit of enterprise our people are blessed with,” Modi said in a tweet. In another tweet on National Maritime Day, the prime minister said, “We in India have been blessed with a rich maritime heritage and we are very proud of that.”

“On National Maritime Day, we recall all those who contributed to India’s strides in the maritime world and reaffirm our commitment to further port-led development,” he said. The Prime Minister also hailed the achievement of around 40,000 water bodies having been developed under the Mission Amrit Sarovar in the last 11 months, saying the speed at which work is being done in this direction infuses new energy in our resolves of ‘Amrit Kaal’.

Around 40,000 water bodies have been developed under the Mission in the last 11 months, achieving around 80 percent of the target under the scheme, according to the Rural Development Ministry.

In a tweet, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said Mission Amrit Sarovar is moving towards achieving its goal. “More than 40,000 Amrit Sarovars have been dedicated to the nation. There is a target of constructing 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by August 15, 2023,” he said. Responding to Shekhawat’s tweet, Modi said on Twitter, “Many congratulations! The speed with which ‘Amrit Sarovars’ are being constructed across the country is infusing new energy in our resolutions of ‘Amrit Kaal’.”

Amrit Kaal, which roughly translates to Golden era, refers to the 25-year period from 75 years to 100 years of India’s independence. The Mission launched by Prime Minister Modi on April 24 last year aims at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.

The total number of Amrit Sarovars to be developed under the scheme is around 50,000, which was set to be completed by August 15 this year.

Responding to a tweet on a Gujarat tourism promotional video, Modi said, “A lovely thread on Kutch. When the deadly quake struck in 2001, people wrote obituaries of Kutch but there is something remarkable about the people of this district. They rose again and propelled the district to new heights.”