Opposition ideology is graft: PM
Modi gives loans to 1 lakh vendors; launches new Metro corridors
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he is relentlessly working to eliminate corruption and appeasement from the roots and make India the world’s third-largest economy. He was addressing the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme at JLN Stadium in Delhi and distributed loans to 1-lakh street vendors (SVs), including 5,000 SVs from the national capital, as part of the scheme.
At the programme, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for two additional corridors of Delhi Metro’s Phase 4 -- Lajpat Nagar to Saket-G Block and Inderlok to Indraprastha. Lieutenant-governor of Delhi V.K. Saxena, Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Union minister of state for finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad were present on the occasion.
In his address, the Prime Minister said, “Modi is relentlessly working to improve the lives of the poor and the middle classes. Modi’s thinking is ‘welfare of nation by the welfare of the public’, eliminating corruption and appeasement from the roots and making India the world’s third-largest economy.”
Hitting out at the Opposition alliance for misgovernance, corruption and spreading anti-national agendas, the Prime Minister mentioned that the partnership of dreams between common citizens and Modi’s resolve is the guarantee of a bright future.
Attacking the AAP and the Congress, which have joined hands in the national capital to take on the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister said that they have come together on the agenda of "abusing him day and night".
Mr Modi alleged that because of the neglect by previous governments, the street vendors hardly got loans from banks and were forced to obtain capital at exorbitant interest rates. Any untimely payment resulted in even higher interest rates, more hardships and disrespect.
“Previous governments did not pay any heed to the needs of street vendors, nor did they make any effort to tackle their issues,” he said, adding, “This servant of yours has come out of poverty. I have lived in poverty. That is why those who have not been cared for by anyone are not only cared for but also worshipped by Modi.”
The Prime Minister further said that those who did not have anything to give as collateral were assured of “Modi’s guarantee” and added that the PM SVANidhi scheme has been a big boost to the lakhs of families of street vendors.
Praising the integrity of street vendors, Mr Modi said that loans worth `10,000, `20,000 and `50,000 are being provided to street vendors depending upon their records and use of digital transactions. Till now, 62-lakh beneficiaries have received assistance worth Rs 11,000 crores.
“The Central government is working day and night to make the lives of the poor and the middle class easier in Delhi,” he said, giving example of building pucca houses for the middle class as well as the urban poor and claiming that a subsidy of Rs 50,000 crores has been handed out for the construction of houses.
The Prime Minister mentioned fast-paced work on Metro services in dozens of cities and running electric buses to tackle the problems of pollution and traffic congestion. “The Delhi Metro Network has expanded two times in the last 10 years,” he said, highlighting that Delhi Metro’s extensive network is among the select few cities in the world.
Mr Modi also mentioned NaMo Bharat rapid rail connectivity for the Delhi NCR region. “The Central government is running more than 1,000 electric buses in Delhi to curb pollution in the city,” he said.
The Prime Minister also talked about the numerous expressways that have been built around Delhi to reduce pollution and traffic congestion, as he recalled the inauguration of the Dwarka Expressway earlier in the week.