Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have laid the roadmap for India for the 100th Independence Day and beyond but the customary address from the Red Fort also made a firm pitch for the big prize – the 2024 general elections.
As he reiterated his promise of India emerging as the third biggest economy by 2047, the hundredth year of its independence, Modi on August 15 listed the achievements of his government and said he would come back the next year to give an account of how far India has come. The Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May.
It is the prime minister who delivers the Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort and here is how Modi built his case to do the same in 2024:
Transfer of funds to states
Devolution to state governments has increased from Rs 30 lakh crore to Rs 100 lakh crore over the last decade.
Affordable housing
Earlier, Rs 90,000 crore was spent on building houses for the poor but it has increased to Rs 4 lakh crore now.
Subsidy for farmers
Modi said bags of urea which were sold at Rs 3,000 in some global markets are now given to farmers for not more than Rs 300. “Hence the government is providing a subsidy of Rs 10 lakh crore on urea for our farmers,” he said.
Mudra loans and MSMEs
The PM said Mudra Yojana has made it possible for many to become entrepreneurs. “The Mudra Yojana, with a budget of over Rs 20 lakh crore, has provided opportunities for self-employment, businesses, and ventures for the youth of our country. About eight crore people have started new businesses,” Modi said. During Covid-19, loans worth Rs 3 lakh crore were disbursed to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
New middle class and OROP
It was due to his government’s effort that 13.5 crore poor people broke free from the chains of poverty and joined the growing new middle class. Under the One Rank One Pension (OROP scheme), Rs 70,000 crore was given to soldiers.
Loans for upliftment
The PM said loans worth Rs 50,00 crore had been given under the SVANidhi plan to empower street vendors, while Rs 2.5 lakh crore was disbursed under the PM KISAN scheme. A sum of Rs 2 lakh crore has been spent on tap water connections for Har Ghar Jal under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Fake identities eliminated
Modi stressed the need to eliminate corruption to ensure progress. “As many as 10 crore fake identities have been eliminated which fraudulently were taking benefits of government grants. This has led to a reduction in corruption,” he said.
Supporting rural women
Drone training would be provided to women from 15,000 self-help groups. They would be provided agri-drones and also train to fly and repair the unmanned aerial vehicles.
Health sector
Modi said over Rs 40,000 crore was spent on providing more than 200 crore covid vaccines. He said Rs 70,000 crore was spent to offer a safety net with the Ayushman Bharat health plan.
The Janaushadhi scheme recorded savings of Rs 20,000 crore with low-cost and high-quality medicines for the poor.
“The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the coming five years,” he said.
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