Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the first installment of rural housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) to one lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) via video conferencing.
Releasing the first installment of ₹540 crore, the prime minister said that the 10 years of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government have been dedicated to the welfare of the poor.
“A country can develop only when the benefits of government schemes reach everyone. The 10 years of my government have been dedicated to the poor,” Modi said.
The last decade saw the budget for welfare schemes dedicated to Scheduled Tribes increase by five times and scholarships for tribal students grew by two-and-a-half times, the PM said.
Work is underway to construct more than 500 Eklavya model schools for tribal students as compared to 90 earlier, he said in the video address.
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The PM-JANMAN, with a budget of approximately ₹24,000 crore, focuses on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries and is aimed to improve socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by providing them with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
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Modi also thanked President Droupadi Murmu, India’s first tribal woman head of state, for her guidance on the PM-JANMAN scheme, and said that as someone who comes from the same background, she often spoke about the issues they faced.
He also interacted with the beneficiaries, who highlighted the positive changes in their lives after they availed government schemes for cooking gas connections, electricity, piped water and housing.
