Mirzapur, Jul 15 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that the parties which ruled the country in the past were now shedding crocodile tears on the condition of the farmers whom they ignored during their tenure and claimed that the NDA's welfare scheme has given boost to end the country's poverty to some extent.

“A recent international report said five crore people were out of poverty in the last two years in the country. Isn’t this the fruit of the government’s schemes?,” asks Mr Modi while commenting that had the report been against the government, the media would have gone berserk over the issue.

"We are taking one step at a time to bridge the gap between the rich and poor. The result will soon be out for everyone to see. The poor can now look you in the eyes, confidently." he said while reiterated the commitment of the government to double the income of the farmers by 2022 and appealed to the people to take advantage of the government schemes.

He further said, "Those who are indulging in politics in the name of farmers had no time to raise the prices of MSP (Minimum Support Price) during their tenure whereas we raised the MSP by 2.5 times in four years. They sat on files at that time but now they are shedding crocodile tears for farmers today. They should be asked why did they not see irrigation projects which were left incomplete throughout the nation, during their tenure," he further questioned.

Mr Modi was addressing a public meeting at Chandaipur village after dedicating Bansagar canal project, lay the foundation stone for the Mirzapur Medical College, inaugurated 108 Jan Aushadhi Kendras and launched various development projects here on Sunday.



The PM said previous governments used to come up with incomplete projects and stall them. "You are the people who suffered through all of that. Had this project been completed beforehand, you would have been benefited by it two decades back," he said on the delay in the Bansagar canal project.



“With the Rs 3,500-crore Bansagar project Mirzapur, Allahabad and 1.5 lakh hectares of land in this area will get irrigation facilities. But the benefits you will receive when the project is completed, you should have received them much earlier,” he said.

“When our government came to power in 2014, we found projects and schemes that had been stuck. We brought it under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and worked to complete it,” he says.

He claimed since the time BJP-NDA government has come to power the development work in Purvanchal and other backward areas of the country have accelerated and its results can be seen by everyone today.

“Ujjala Yojana freed women from firewood stoves and helped them spend more time with the family. Under Jan Dhan Yojana, five crore bank accounts were opened in UP. Eighteen lakh houses were built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” he said, while giving the details of the government sponsored schemes.



“When I came here in March to inaugurate a solar plant, the French president Macron was with me. We were welcomed with a photo of Mata and ‘chunari’. President Macron was very happy and when I told him about Mata’s eminence, he was inspired,” said PM Modi.

However, the PM also appealed to the people using the new canal system not to waste a single drop of water as it will be useful for our next generation and even asked the farmers to plant bamboo trees on the borders of their fields which will increase their earnings.



Talking about the new medical college, for which foundation was laid, the PM said Mirzapur Medical College will serve people in Sonbhadra, Bhadoi, Chandauli and Allahabad with a hospital of 500 beds while several road projects have been introduced to improve connectivity. “The bridge dedicated today will reduce the travel time between Chunar and Varanasi,” he said.

The PM also inaugurated 108 Jan Aushadya Kendra in UP with claiming that it will provide cheaper medicines to the poor.



Continuing to pat the UP government led by Yogi Adityanath , the PM said, “Since Yogi Adityanath took over as chief minister, one can see the fast pace at which Purvanchal and Uttar Pradesh has progressed".

Lauding the Swacch Bharat Campaign, the PM claimed that it has been reported that the villages where ODF have been implemented the diseases of the children and other persons have minimised. He also announced that very soon Ayushman Bharat would be launched in the country which will provide Rs 5 lakh medical insurances to 50 crores poor people of the country.

The public meeting was also addressed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister of state for health and local MP Anupriya Patel while state irrigation minister Dharampal Singh welcomed the guests. UP Governor Ram Naik, along with several UP ministers including Sidharthnath Singh, Ashutosh Tandon and UP BJP president Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey were also president .

UNI MB SB 1356