Saharanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today kicked off the celebrations into the completion of two years of the National Democratic Alliance government having come to power. Addressing a huge rally in Saharanpur, PM Modi said he was in UP to present his government’s report card at the same time that he was assuming oath as the PM two years ago in New Delhi.
Underlining the importance of his visit to UP at the same time, Modi said he was a ‘UP waala’ – he is an MP from Varanasi – and that his government has continuously worked towards the empowerment of the poor and their upliftment.
Here are 10 key takeaways from the Prime Minister’s speech:
1. Retirement age of doctors raised to 65
The biggest announcement during the PM’s speech came for doctors. Emphasising on the issue of shortage of doctors, the PM said that the shortage would not have been there had there been sufficient medical colleges in the country. “Today I want to announce from the soil of UP. The retirement age for government doctors - which is currently 60 or 62 in different parts- will be made 65 all over the country,” Modi said, adding that the Union Cabinet would take a decision on the issue within this week.
2. Treat pregnant women for free once a month
Ruing the fact that a number of rural women in India died during pregnancy, Modi appealed to the country’s doctors to offer free treatment and medicines to pregnant women once every month. “I want to appeal to my doctor friends. On 9th of every month, can they treat poor pregnant women for free, give them medicines for free. If they give 12 days out of 12 months to them, this will help poor mothers a lot,” Modi said.
3. Doubling farm income by 2022
PM Modi reiterated the government’s commitment to increase the income of farmers twofold by 2022. “I want to make sure that the income of farmers and the poor doubles by 2022. This is not just a slogan for us,” Modi said, further elaborating on the schemes and programmes undertaken by the government to realise this ambition. He also listed initiatives such as the soil health card, crop insurance etc.
4. Warning to sugar mills
While stating that the government had done enough to ensure timely payment to sugarcane farmers of their dues, the PM also sent out a warning to sugar mills. “All these years what you have done to the farmers, you wont be allowed to do anymore. Government has made rules that sugarcane farmers wont have any dues left,” PM said, adding that Rs 14,000 crore was the amount due when he assumed charge as PM and that Rs 700-800 crore was the amount left to be paid out.
5. Appeal to save water
“If our farmers get water, they can grow gold from the soil,” PM said, adding that the government was working towards ensuring water for irrigation in every field. He said he has had extensive discussions with chief ministers of drought-affected states. The PM also appealed to the nation to save as much water as they can during the coming monsoons.
6. Rich versus poor
“The gas cylinder was made a thing for the rich by the past governments. Poor weren't even allowed to dream of gas ovens. Poor mothers were forced to intake smoke of 400 cigarettes when they cooked on wood and coal,” PM Modi said. He said he appealed to the nation to give up the gas subsidy if they could afford it and that 1 crore families gave up subsidy. The PM further informed that the government provided gas connections to 3 crore poor families during the last year and that it was working on a target to provide gas connections to 5 crore more families in the next 3 years. The PM further said that the Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan is a programme aimed at the poor and not the rich. Poor spend Rs 7,000 average per year on illness, he said. He also informed that the government would provide Rs 2 lakh crore to gram panchayats to empower India’s villages.
7. Corruption-free government
PM Modi reminded the gathering of the situation prevalent two years ago before he assumed charge of PM’s office. “There were constant reports of scams and corruption. So much wealth has been looted. I am shocked, were those powerful people sent to loot the wealth of public? I have taken measures to stop this loot. Two years ago, no one would have dared to stand before the people and provide an account of their work to the people,” he said.
8. Roads and electrification
Stating that the previous governments only worked on paper and there was no work visible on the ground, PM Modi stressed that the construction of roads per day had doubled under his watch as compared to the previous government. This, he said, would connect villages and empower them. He further said that the maximum budget allocation was made for road construction. “18,000 villages without power in 21st century India is very shameful. I have issued instructions that all these villages should have power in 1000 days, of which 300 days have passed. 7000 villages have already been electrified. Maximum number of unelectrified villages were in UP,” he said.
9. Veiled attack on Congress
Modi said that India had emerged as a bright spot in the world and that there was a sense of perceptible enthusiasm among the people over the bright prospects of India’s future. “India is changing but the minds of some people is not changing,” he said in an apparent attack on the Congress, amid chants of ‘Modi, Modi….’.
10. I am a Pradhan Sevak
“I said from the Red Fort that I am a Pradhan Sevak, I may be called the Prime Minster,” Modi said, adding that the government’s focus has been on strengthening the states. “There was a time when 65 per cent of the wealth used to be with the Centre and 35 per cent with the states. The biggest decision we took was to keep 35 per cent with the Centre and 65 per cent with the state treasury,” he said.
Modi further said that the work of the government was under close scrutiny. "Even the minutest of things find their way to newspaper headlines and television news. Such is the scrutiny of our work. But I welcome it. We are here to serve the people and need to be accountable for every penny," he said.
