On his 74th birthday, which coincided with the government’s announcement of its achievements over the first 100 days of its current tenure, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched schemes and inaugurated projects to reinforce the government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers, women, youth, and the poor. The PM also criticised the Opposition for condemning him for participating in Ganesh puja.
Addressing a public meeting in Bhubaneswar, the PM said the Congress and its “ecosystem” were upset with him for taking part in Ganesh puja. This comment alluded to the Opposition’s criticism of his participation in Ganesh puja rituals at the residence of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud last week.
“The British, who followed the policy of divide and rule, used to hate Ganesh Utsav. Today, power-hungry individuals, busy dividing society, object to Ganesh puja,” he said, referencing the Congress’ criticism. He added that Lord Ganesh was “put behind bars” in Congress-ruled Karnataka.
In Odisha, Modi launched the state government’s flagship programme, Subhadra Yojana. The Odisha government has promised to deposit Rs 10,000 a year, in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each, into the bank accounts of eligible women.
Modi said that 10 million women in Odisha would benefit from the scheme. He also noted that the scheme was linked to a pilot project of the Reserve Bank of India’s digital currency. He congratulated Odisha’s women “for joining this first-of-its-kind digital currency in the country”.
In Odisha, he unveiled railway and national highway projects worth over Rs 3,800 crore. He also released the first instalment of assistance to nearly 1 million beneficiaries under the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) across 14 states, participated in griha pravesh (housewarming) celebrations for 2.6 million beneficiaries under the housing scheme, and launched the Awaas+ 2024 App for surveying additional households for the same programme.
Accompanied by the Odisha Chief Minister (CM), Modi visited the home of Antaryami Nayak, a beneficiary of the housing scheme, where the family served him khiri, a sweet dish.
“When my mother was alive, I used to seek her blessing on my birthday. She used to give me gud (jaggery). Today, I received the blessings of a tribal mother who offered me khiri,” he said.
Listing the promises fulfilled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha, he mentioned that all four gates of the Jagannath temple in Puri had been opened to the public, and the 12th century shrine’s ratna bhandar (treasury) was also reopened in July after 46 years for making an inventory of valuables and repairing its structure.
Modi said the day was special because the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre had completed 100 days, during which several major decisions were taken for the welfare of the poor, farmers, youth, and women. During these 100 days, decisions were made to build 30 million pucca houses for the poor, introduce a PM package worth Rs 2 trillion for the youth, add 75,000 seats in medical colleges, and approve the construction of pucca roads connecting 25,000 villages. He also listed decisions for the welfare of farmers and the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
In several BJP-ruled states, CMs observed the ‘seva pakhwada’ and cleanliness campaign. In New Delhi, BJP chief J P Nadda inaugurated an exhibition on the life of the PM. Nadda spoke of the NDA government’s achievements in the first 100 days of its third term and described the PM as a “great personality”.
First Published: Sep 17 2024 | 9:53 PM IST
