Yavatmal (Maharashtra), Feb 28 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sounded the bugle for Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha polls campaign from 'lucky Yavatmal', launched a slew of projects worth around Rs 35,000 crore and slammed the previous UPA regime for graft.
Addressing a massive gathering of women, PM Modi recalled his pre-poll trips to Yavatmal – in 2014 for a 'chai pe charcha' after which the NDA got 300 parliamentary seats and later in 2019, when the ruling alliance went over 350 seats.
This time, PM Modi expressed confidence that they would cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha, as the people have "made up their minds" that 'Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar, 400 paar', and this was evident from the huge number of women who had come to bless him.
PM Modi said that like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the government has been working with a mission for the country, and whatever is being done is the foundation for the progress in the next 25 years.
The Prime Minister said he had taken a vow to take development to each and every remote corner and dedicate himself full time for the mission.
The PM said that for progress, there is a need to consider four sections of society – the poor, farmers, youth and women – and today, he had done this by dedicating or launching schemes/projects worth thousands of crores of rupees to them and helping improving their lives.
The government has also given rail, road and other infra projects for better connectivity for the Vidarbha region, he said.
Targetting the INDIA Opposition bloc, PM Modi questioned the people's status when the UPA was in power, when the Agriculture Minister (Sharad Pawar) was also from Maharashtra, but without taking any names.
"The government announced big packages but it was 'looted' midway and the poor, tribals and farmers got nothing. Today, I just pressed one button and Rs 21,000 crore went straight to the bank accounts of thousands of farmers. That is called 'Modi Guarantee'. Earlier, of a similar amount, Rs 18,000 crores would have been 'looted' en route, but now the poor get their full money, it's my guarantee that all beneficiaries will get every paise in their bank accounts," PM Modi said.
He said that today, Maharashtra farmers got Rs 3,800 crore and 11 crore farmers in the country have got Rs 3-lakh crores so far, including Rs 30,000 crore for this state's tillers of which Rs 900 crore went to the peasants of Yavatmal, and the amounts would immensely benefit them.
PM Modi reiterated that to achieve the status of a developed country, it was imperative to strengthen the rural economy, remove all difficulties of the villagers like drinking and irrigation and other schemes.
"Before 2014, there was a water crisis in all villages as the UPA government never bothered about it. From 1947 till 2014, barely 15 per cent of villagers had tap-water connections at home. After 2014, we launched the 'Har Ghar Jal' guarantee, and now almost 75 per cent village homes get piped water supply at their homes. In Maharashtra earlier there were only 50,000 water taps in village homes, now around 1.25 crore people have it," said PM Modi.
He attacked the previous regimes for deserting around 300 big and small irrigation projects in the country, but his government took up the work to revive all, including 26 in Maharashtra, of which 12 are completed and work is proceeding to complete the others.
The PM said that the government is committed to make three crore women in the country as 'Lakhpati Didi', and after giving them e-rickshaws today, the government will cover them under the NaMo Drone Didi scheme, train women and give them drones for agricultural purposes.
PM Modi said that the Congress government always pushed the poor and tribals behind but his government brought forward the most backward communities by giving them major schemes-projects, and assured that in the next five years, the country will see even quicker progress to improve the lives of the masses.
Earlier, PM Modi dedicated-launched various development project-schemes worth around Rs 35,000 crore for Maharashtra in the presence of Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and other dignitaries.