VALSAD/JUNAGADH: In a veiled attack on Rajiv Gandhi , who had famously admitted in the 1980s that only 15 paise of a rupee earmarked for the poor by the government reach them, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday said "poora rupaiya (every paisa of a rupee)" released by the Centre reaches the beneficiaries now.

Stressing that corruption-free governance has been the hallmark of his government's four-year rule, Modi told a public gathering in Jujwa, a tribal village near Valsad, "Middlemen have been eliminated. If one rupee is released by Delhi, the entire 100 paise (now) reach the poor."

After witnessing a house warming ceremony by beneficiaries of the PM Awaas Yojna-Gramin in 26 districts of Gujarat via videoconferencing, Modi said, "Seeing the quality of houses, people are surprised that they have been built under a government scheme. This has been possible just because katki (corruption) company has been forced to close down."

Interacting with women house owners in various districts, Modi even asked a few of them if they had to pay any bribe to the middlemen to get the amount of around Rs 1.5 lakh under the scheme. The women said they didn't have to pay anyone to avail of the benefits.

