Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday criticised the Congress, saying its fight against poverty was limited to slogans. He said 50 crore people overcame extreme poverty in 12 years under his government. "Today, India is defeating poverty on the ground," he said, crediting welfare schemes and infrastructure for this growth.
PM credits welfare schemes and infrastructure push for poverty reduction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday criticised the Congress, saying its fight against poverty had been limited to slogans, and said around 50 crore people had overcome extreme poverty in India in the last 12 years under the BJP-led government.
"Around 50 crore people have overcome extreme poverty in India in the last 12 years. Earlier, the fight against poverty was limited to slogans. Today, India is defeating poverty on the ground," he said after inaugurating Pune Metro Line 3 through video conferencing.
Citing a World Bank report on poverty reduction in India, Modi said his government had consistently focused on empowering the poor and enabling them to overcome poverty through confidence and opportunities. The proportion of people in extreme poverty, measured as those living on less than $3 a day in 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms, fell to 2.6 per cent in 2023, according to the World Bank.
Modi also spoke about India's economic growth, saying the country was being discussed across the world for being the fastest-growing economy despite difficult times. He said, "The country's economic growth and poverty reduction are interconnected, with increasing investments in infrastructure and welfare schemes improving people's lives and creating employment opportunities."
Modi claimed that financial assistance to the poor had earlier suffered leakages, but was now being used more effectively, helping improve citizens' lives.
Recalling that he had completed 25 years in public service last month, Modi spoke about the Garib Kalyan Mela, a welfare initiative launched by the Gujarat government in 2009-10 during his tenure as Chief Minister. The programme sought to deliver government scheme benefits directly to underprivileged communities.
"The work started 25 years ago continues now as well. The programme focused on delivering welfare schemes directly to beneficiaries and encouraging them to overcome poverty," he said.
Modi said the government's approach focused on empowering people rather than merely providing assistance. He claimed this had helped 50 crore citizens move out of poverty. "This has created a neo-middle class giving a push to the economy and taking the country to new heights," he said.
The Prime Minister also said farmers in Maharashtra were going through a difficult time due to drought. "Our government is strongly standing with farmers in the tough times of drought. They should not worry we are with them. The state government has provided some immediate help to farmers," he said.
He appealed to citizens to look after farmers as part of their social responsibility and said they should not forget the hardships they faced. Drought or drought-like conditions have been declared in 304 of the state's 358 talukas.