Announcing his Government’s intention to double the income of farmers across the country by 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said if peasants will get adequate water, they were capable of growing gold in their field.
Addressing a large gathering of people in limkheda town in tribal dominated Dahod district, the Prime Minister on his 66th birthday said the previous Governments used to talk about Roti, Kapada aur Makan (Food, Shelter and Cloths) but for his Government two additional elements too are basic needs — education and health.
“I don’t celebrate birthday. Today I got an opportunity to be with my tribal brothers and sisters,” Modi said while laying foundation stones for seven different irrigation projects worth Rs 4,800 crore for five tribal districts of Gujarat. Modi, who flew down by an IAF aircraft to Ahmedabad on the eve of his birthday, began his birthday by taking blessings of his mother Hira Bai.
A massive 67-foot cut-out of Modi at the venue in limkheda created major attraction among people as unlike in southern part of the country, people in Gujarat are not used to see such huge cut outs of politicians. Flanked by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and former CM Anandiben Patel in traditional tribal attire among galaxy of local leaders, Modi was the centre of attraction and people were eager to listen him. They continuously kept shouting Modi… Modi.
He struck an emotional chord of tribal people saying that very few people knew that the in Gujarat beginning of famous 1857 revolution was from Dahod. He remembered freedom fighters from tribal communities who fought against British.
Terming himself as ‘Pradhan Sevak’, Modi said his Government was sincerely working to develop Dahod Railway Station situated on main railway lines connecting Central India, which would create plethora of jobs for local people. The development would become reason to change the local economy, he added.
In another function at Navsari in South Gujarat organised by Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, PM Modi distributed nearly 17,000 kits/equipment to more than 11,000 specially-abled persons who are being called as Divyang in Gujarati. On the side-lines of the event, three world records were also set by Divyang by lighting 1,000 lamps simultaneously, fitting hearing aids to 1,000 people in eight hours and creating image of wheel chairs by arrangement of 931 tricycles.
At the function Modi said that his Government was working on promoting single and internationally accepted sign language for specially-abled persons in order to make them empowered to communicate with confidence in any part of the globe. On the term ‘Divyang’, he said that telling someone disable would point out towards his deformity, but calling them Divyang would make them comfortable.
The PM didn’t forget to mention performance of Indian players in recently concluded Paralympic Games in Rio saying that all 19 participants performed exceedingly well and brought four medals for the country.
Talking about his Government’s sensitive approach, he said under the campaign “Sugamya Bharat”, facilities for specially-abled people would be created at hospitals, schools, public places and even inside the trains.
Both the events of PM Modi in Gujarat concluded without any major hiccups. However, police had to detain three Congress MlAs and their 70 odd supporters who were planning to reach at the function in limkheda for protest.
On his birthday, Modi was showered with greetings from across the globe. “My warm greetings and good wishes to PM Narendra Modi on his Birthday,” tweeted President Pranab Mukherjee. Chief Justice of India TS Thakur also met Modi in Gandhinagar.