PM Modi interacts with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

New Delhi, Nov 30, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra via video conferencing today. He also launched Pradhan Mantri Mahila Kisan Drone Kendra. During the program, the Prime Minister dedicated the landmark 10,000th Jan Aushadhi Kendra at AIIMS, Deoghar.

The Prime Minister also launched the program to increase the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country from 10,000 to 25,000. The Prime Minister announced both these initiatives, providing drones to women SHGs and increasing the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras from 10,000 to 25,000 during his Independence Day speech earlier this year.

The program marks the fulfillment of these promises. The Prime Minister interacted with beneficiaries from Deoghar in Jharkhand, Raigarha in Odisha, Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh, Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh, and Arnia in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is completing 15 days today and has now picked up pace. Noting the affection and participation of the people that has led to a change in the nomenclature of the VBSY van from ‘Vikas Rath’ to ‘Modi Ki Guarantee vehicle’, the Prime Minister thanked the citizens for their trust in the government. He expressed happiness upon interacting with the beneficiaries of VBSY and lauded their spirit, enthusiasm and resolve. He informed that ‘‘Modi Ki Guarantee vehicle’ has so far reached more than 12,000 gram panchayats where approximately 30 lakh citizens have engaged with it. He also lauded the participation of women in VBSY. “Every person in every village understands the meaning of development”, the Prime Minister remarked as he noted that VBSY has transformed into a public movement from a government initiative. Observing the increased digital activities on social media platforms by the new and old beneficiaries and those engaging with VBSY, the PM urged them to upload such photographs and videos on Namo App as he monitors it on a daily basis. “Youth have become ambassadors of VBSY”, he said. He also observed the impact of VBSY on the cleanliness of villages as campaigns have been undertaken in multiple places to welcome the ‘Modi Ki Guarantee vehicle’. “India is now unstoppable and untiring. It is the people of India who have made a decision to make it a developed nation”, he added. He also touched upon the push for ‘Vocal for Local’ in the recently concluded festive season.

The Prime Minister credited the trust in the government and its efforts for the successful reception of VBSY. Reflecting on the times when the government ignored the basic needs of the citizens when a major population was deprived of basic amenities like houses, toilets, electricity, gas connections, insurance or bank accounts, the Prime Minister highlighted the prevalence of corrupt practices like bribes. PM Modi also pointed out the politics of appeasement and vote bank and said that the government lacked the trust of the citizens. He underlined that it is the present government that has transformed bad governance into good governance and is aiming to achieve saturation. “Government should identify the needs of the citizens and give them their rights. This is natural justice, this is social justice”, the Prime Minister exclaimed. Due to this approach, the Prime Minister said that a new aspiration has arisen and the feeling of neglect among crores of citizens has come to an end. “Modi’s guarantee begins where expectation from others ends”, Modi remarked.

“The resolve of a developed India is not Modi’s or any government’s, it is a resolve to take everyone along on the path of development”, the Prime Minister underlined. He said that the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra aims to take the government schemes and benefits to those who have been left behind. He also informed that he is closely monitoring the developments on Namo App and highlighted drone demonstrations, health check-up camps and inspection camps for sickle cell anemia in tribal regions. Prime Minister Modi noted that many panchayats have already attained saturation with the advent of VBSY and further information is being provided to those who were left behind. He mentioned that the beneficiaries are being immediately linked to many schemes like Ujjwala and Ayushman Cards and informed that more than 40,000 beneficiaries have been given Ujjwala gas connections in the first phase. He also urged the youth to register as My Bharat Volunteers and join the MY Bharat campaign.

Underlining at the start of the VBSY that it is based on 4 Amrit pillars of ‘Viksit Bharat’, the Prime Minister recalled India’s Nari Shakti, Yuva Shakti, the farmers and the poor families of India and said that the progress of these four creeds will make India a developed country. Modi said that the government strives to improve the standard of living and drive away poverty from poor families, create employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth, empower the women of India by tackling their issues, and improve the income and capabilities of India’s farmers. “I will not rest until the issues of the poor, women, farmers and the youth are completely addressed”, PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi touched upon the other two developments related to empowering women through the use of drones in agriculture and providing medicines at cheaper prices for poor families. Speaking about the launch of PM Mahila Kisan Drone Kendras, the Prime Minister recalled his announcement of Drone Didi during his Independence Day speech and informed that drones will be made available to 15,000 self-help groups along with training for drone pilots in the coming time. He underlined that the ongoing campaign to make women self-reliant through self-help groups will be strengthened by the Drone Didi and provide additional means of income. “With this, the Prime Minister said, the farmers of the country will be able to get their hands on modern technology like drones at a very low cost which will help save time, medicine and fertilizers.

Referring to the inauguration of the 10,000th Jan Aushadhi Kendra, Modi said that it has become a center for procuring medicines at cheaper rates for the poor and middle class. “Jan Aushadhi Kendras are now being called ‘Modi’s Medicine Shop’”, the Prime Minister added and thanked the citizens for their affection. He informed that roughly 2000 types of medicines are sold at an 80 to 90 percent discount at such centers. He also congratulated the citizens, especially the women of the country, for the launch of program to further expand the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras from 10,000 to 25,000. He also expressed happiness that the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna has been extended for another 5 years. “Modi’s guarantee means the guarantee of fulfillment”, he added.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the entire government machinery and government employees in initiating this entire campaign. He also recalled the success of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan a few years ago and informed that the campaign was run in two phases in about 60 thousand villages of the country with seven schemes being taken to the beneficiaries. “Thousands of villages in aspirational districts were also included in this”, he added. He praised the efforts of government representatives involved in this campaign to serve the country and society. “Stand firm with complete honesty, keep reaching every village. The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra will be completed only with Sabka Prayas”, he Modi concluded.

Union Minister for Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar made his presence virtually as beneficiaries and other stakeholders connected to the event from multiple locations.

Background

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is being undertaken across the country with the aim of attaining saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner.

It has been the constant endeavor of the Prime Minister to ensure women-led development. In yet another step in this direction, the Prime Minister launched Pradhan Mantri Mahila Kisan Drone Kendra. It will provide drones to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) so that they can use this technology for livelihood assistance. 15,000 drones will be provided to women SHGs in the course of the next three years. Women will also be provided the necessary training to fly and use drones. The initiative will encourage the use of technology in agriculture.

Making healthcare affordable and easily accessible has been the cornerstone of the Prime Minister’s vision for a healthy India. One of the major initiatives in this direction has been the establishment of Jan Aushadhi Kendra to make medicines available at affordable prices. During the program, the Prime Minister dedicated the landmark 10,000th Jan Aushadi Kendra at AIIMS, Deoghar. Further, the Prime Minister also launched the program to increase the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country from 10,000 to 25,000.