Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that hundreds of small cities would play a key role in strengthening the grand edifice of a developed India.
After interacting with beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY) via video conferencing, Mr. Modi said the cities had a huge role to play in the determination of a developed India. “Whatever development took place for a long time after Independence, its scope was limited to some big cities of the country. But today we are focusing on the development of tier-2 and tier-3 cities in the country,” he said.
He cited the AMRUT Mission and Smart City Mission, which are upgrading basic facilities in small cities. “These upgrades are directly impacting ease of living, ease of travel, and ease of doing business. The poor, neo-middle class, middle class or rich people — all are getting the benefit of these enhanced facilities,” Mr. Modi said.
The PM flagged off the VBSY campaign in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram, where was not initiated ahead of the Assembly elections. He urged the newly elected governments of the five States to rapidly expand the VBSY initiative.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Modi said “Modi ki guarantee” (Modi’s guarantee) vehicles were now reaching all parts of the country, and had so far covered thousands of villages and about 1,500 cities, including smaller cities and towns.
The Prime Minister launched the VBSY campaign in Jharkhand’s Khunti on November 15.
“Even though Modi has flagged off the Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the truth is that, today, the countrymen have taken charge of it,” he said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the assistance provided by the Central government during the COVID-19 pandemic; the disbursal of thousands of crores into the bank accounts of about 20 crore women; ensuring free COVID-19 vaccines; free rations for poor families; and assistance worth lakhs of crores to small businesses. “Modi’s guarantee begins when expectations from others cease,” he said.
Mr. Modi said street vendors and hawkers had been connected to the banking system, and could now get loans easily under the SVANidhi Yojana, under which over 50 lakh people had so far benefited. About 1.25 lakh people had applied for the loans through the VBSY. “More than 75% of the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi Yojana are members of Dalit, backward and tribal communities, including about 45% women beneficiaries,” he said.
On the issue of social security for urban dwellers, the Prime Minister said the Atal Pension Scheme had six crore subscribers, ensuring ₹5,000 monthly pension after the age of 60. “PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and Jeevan Jyoti Yojana are providing life cover up to ₹2 lakh. Claims worth ₹17,000 crore have already been settled under these schemes,” he said.
“Government is committed to saving money for urban families, be it exemption in income tax or low-cost treatment,” Mr. Modi said, adding that crores of urban poor had been covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and it had helped them save ₹1 lakh crore on medical expenses. He said the Jan Aushadhi Kendras had helped the poor and middle class living in cities save over ₹25,000 crore.
The PM also mentioned ‘One Nation One Ration card’, housing, and credit-linked subsidy schemes. “The work that has been done for modern public transport in the last 10 years is incomparable,” Mr. Modi said, adding that 15 new cities had received metro services in the past decade, and work on metro networks was either complete or underway in 27 cities. Moreover, electric buses were running in many cities, the PM said. “Modi ki guarantee” was also empowering both youth and women, he said.
