PM Narendra Modi with BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah during the BJP Parliamentary party meeting, in New Delhi, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Highlights
- PMGKAY is a pro-poor package intended to reduce the challenges encountered by the poor due to Covid
- PM Garib Kalyan Yojana aims to help over 80 crore people of the country
- The scheme, launched in March 2020, was later extended to March 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked BJP MPs to undertake various programmes as part of 'samajik nyay pakhwada' (fortnight dedicated to social justice) from its foundation day on April 6, and also asserted that it is the only ruling party that has recognised contributions of every Prime Minister by building a museum to honour them. PM Modi is slated to inaugurate a museum dedicated to former Prime Ministers on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar on April 14.
Speaking at the BJP's parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi asked party MPs to reach out to people, especially the disadvantaged sections of society like Scheduled Castes, to highlight various government programmes for their welfare.
MoS Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal told reporters that the Prime Minister asked MPs to work to spread awareness about the government's welfare schemes for housing, nutrition and free grains among others.
"He (PM Modi) said we are the only ones to have acknowledged former prime ministers' contributions irrespective of the party they came from," a BJP MP said.
The BJP has often accused the Congress, which has ruled the country for much of the period since Independence, of glorifying the PMs from its ruling Nehru-Gandhi family while ignoring others.
"This is essentially democratisation of national recognition and articulation of popular gratitude towards all of our former Prime Ministers," BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said.
That the museum is being inaugurated on Ambedkar's birth anniversary is a recognition of the democratic architecture he bequeathed to the country, another party leader said while referring to PM Modi's speech.
The Prime Minister also advised the MPs to set up water reservoirs in their constituencies and asked them to organise and participate in BJP foundation day events on April 6. Notably, PM Modi will address the party workers, Ministers, MPs, MLAs on April 6 to mark the foundation day of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The party has plans to celebrate its foundation day on a grand scale. The party will celebrate Social Harmony Day from April 1 to 14 and Social Justice Day from April 6 to 14. Party leaders will hold meetings and conferences on the issue of social justice.
"The main objective of today's meeting was to hold meetings and conferences between April 6-14 on the issue of social justice, as told by the party's national president (JP Nadda) and PM Modi," MoS Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal told reporters.
Meanwhile, the BJP MPs also passed a resolution to thank PM Modi for extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana by six months. The scheme aims to help over 80 crore people of the country. The scheme, launched in March 2020, was later extended to March 2022.
