VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked the opposition for raising questions against his Jan Dhan Yojana and asked, “Those who kept poor away from banking facilities even after four decades of nationalisation of banks are seeking account of such a scheme which has brought Rs 30,000 crore cash in rotation in a record time.”

“What these people could not do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months,” Modi retorted at a function in his parliamentary constituency on Friday. “The programme would not just change the lives of a few people, but herald a new beginning that would change the future of ‘Kashi’ and its poor,” the PM said. “Things will start moving fast and the town will get a new identity and the common man’s lives will improve,” he told the hundreds of people who had gathered to listen to him.

The PM, on his first trip to his Lok Sabha constituency in over eight months, claimed poverty alleviation measures of the past lacked a proper direction. “We have been hearing about ‘garibi hatao’ for the last 40-50 years. In elections too, we hear about poverty alleviation programmes for the poor. It has become a tradition in politics to talk about the poor and their welfare. There is need to come out of this tradition,” he said.

Stating that experiments for poverty elimination had failed to give desired results so far, Modi said, “I don’t want to blame any government or party, but we must make a new beginning for the welfare of the poor.” He also appealed to the poor to send their children to school as education was the best option to fight poverty.

Modi also stressed on skill development and said through technology the poorest of the poor could earn more and become self-reliant. “A little support in developing skills of hardworking poor is creating confidence among them. A rickshaw-puller too has become aware about skill development and its importance in his work. This programme must be initiated on broader scale as the rickshaw pullers and auto drivers create the first impression on any tourist or visitor. Their training in behaviour with guests is vital.”

Earlier, Modi was welcomed by governor Ram Naik and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at the airport. Later, the PM distributed 101 e-rickshaws, 501 bicycle rickshaws, packages under Jan Dhan Yojana, solar lanterns to rickshaw pullers and pushcarts to street vendors.

