‘Congress govt declared 100 districts as backward and forgot about them’: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted the previous Congress government for neglecting ‘backward’ districts as he highlighted the success of the Aspirational Districts Plan.

PM Modi stated that the previous government “forgot” about the districts after declaring them backward, but the BJP government paid “special attention” to them by declaring them aspirational districts.  He highlighted the central government’s work, which significantly increased road connectivity, electrification and the benefits of vaccination in these districts.

“Previous governments had declared over 100 districts in the country backward and then forgotten them. We focused special attention on these districts, declaring them aspirational districts. Our mantra for change in these districts was convergence, collaboration, and competition. That is, first, every government department should implement separate projects, engage every citizen in the district, then work with a sense of shared effort, and then engage in healthy competition with other districts,” PM Modi said at a special Krishi programme at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.

#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “… Congress government gave subsidies worth Rs 5 crore in 10 years before 2014…Our government, the BJP-led NDA government, in the last ten years, has provided fertiliser subsidies exceeding Rs 13 lakh crore. Moreover, the… pic.twitter.com/jaPKQESo1i

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“The benefits of this approach are visible today. In these over 100 backward districts — what we now call Aspirational Districts, 20 per cent of the settlements had not seen a road since independence. Today, thanks to the Aspirational Districts Plan, most of these settlements have been connected to roads. At that time, in what were then considered backward districts, 17 pc of children were outside the scope of vaccination.

“Today, thanks to the Aspirational Districts Plan, most of these children are receiving the benefits of vaccination. In these backward districts, more than 15% of schools lacked electricity. Today, thanks to the Aspirational Districts Plan, every such school has been provided with an electricity connection,” he added.

PM Modi launched the Aspirational Districts Programme in January 2018 with the aim of quickly and effectively transforming 112 of the country’s most underdeveloped districts. He also stated that the BJP has offered more subsidies to the agricultural sector than the Congress government.

“Congress government gave subsidies worth Rs 5 crore in 10 years before 2014…Our government, the BJP-led NDA government, has provided fertiliser subsidies exceeding Rs 13 lakh crore in the last ten years. Moreover, the amount the Congress government used to spend on agriculture in a year is less than what the BJP government deposits into the bank accounts of the farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said.

PM Modi launched two major agricultural schemes, PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, with an outlay of Rs 35,440 crore. Speaking about the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, PM Modi urged farmers and district heads to create action plans that are suitable for the local soil and climate conditions. He added that the success of the scheme depends entirely on its implementation at the local level.

“The design of the PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana is such that it can be adapted according to the specific needs of each district. Therefore, I would like to urge farmers and district heads in advance: at the district level, you need to create action plans that are suitable for the local soil and climate conditions… The success of the PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana will depend entirely on its implementation at the local level,” he said.

“Therefore, our young officials have a great responsibility. They have an opportunity to make a difference, and I am confident that these young officers, working together with farmers, will transform the agricultural landscape of 100 districts. I can assure you that once farming improves in a village, the entire village’s economy will change… Today, in India, and especially for people who follow a vegetarian or plant-based diet, protein is very important for nutrition. While other nutrients are also necessary, protein plays a crucial role in the physical and mental development of our children and future generations,” he added.

PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, which has an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore, aims to enhance agricultural productivity, increase adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level, improve irrigation facilities and facilitate availability of long-term and short-term credit in the selected 100 districts, according to a release from PMO.

The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore, aims to enhance the productivity levels of pulses, expand the area under pulse cultivation, strengthen the value chain–encompassing procurement, storage, and processing–and ensure a reduction in losses.

He graciously noted the delay before his address, informing the audience that he had been interacting with farmers. “My arrival was delayed because I was having a chat with several farmers. I spoke with many farmers and fishermen. I had the opportunity to hear the experiences of women working in agriculture,” he said. (ANI)