Modi releases visually-impaired friendly Rs 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 20 coinsPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released a special series of Rs 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10, and Rs 20 coins. These special series of coins will have the theme of the logo of the “Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav” (AKAM) and will be easily identifiable to visually impaired persons.
Inaugurating the “iconic week celebrations” of the Ministry of Finance (June 6-11), Modi also launched the National Portal — “Jan Samarth Portal” — a credit-linked portal of 13 Government schemes, to ensure ease in credit availability to youth, entrepreneurs, and farmers. The celebrations are part of the AKAM.
In his address, the Prime Minister said it was necessary to focus on how to make Indian banks and currency an important part of the international supply chain and trade.
“We have shown in the last eight years that if India collectively decides to do something, then India becomes a new hope for the world. Today, the world is looking at us not just like a big consumer market but looking at us with hope and confidence as a capable, game-changing, creative, innovative ecosystem,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said the country has borne the brunt of Government-centric governance in the past, but today 21st century India is moving ahead with the approach of “people-centric governance”.
He said earlier it was the responsibility of the people to go to the Government for availing benefits of the schemes but now the emphasis is on taking governance to people and freeing them from the rigmarole of doing rounds of different Ministries and websites.
He said the launch of the national portal for credit linked Government schemes — Jan Samarth Portal — is a major step in this direction. This portal will improve the lives of students, farmers, businessmen, and MSME entrepreneurs and will help them in realising their dreams, he added.
“Any reform if its objectives and goals are clear and there is seriousness in its implementation then good results are assured,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our youth can easily open the company they want, they can start their enterprises easily, and they can run them easily. Therefore by reducing more than 30,000 compliances, abolishing more than 1500 laws, and decriminalizing several provisions of the Companies Act, we have ensured that Indian companies not only move ahead but also achieve new heights”, he said.
The Prime Minister said that the Government is focused on simplification of the governance. “GST has now replaced the web of many taxes at the Centre and the State. The country is also seeing the result of this simplification. Now it has become normal for GST collection to cross one lakh crore rupees every month,” he said.
He said that the GeM portal has brought in new ease for procurement in Government and made selling to the Government very easy. The purchase figure for the portal has crossed 1 lakh crore, the Prime Minister informed.
“Today when we move with the power of reform, simplification and ease, we attain a new level of convenience … We have shown in the last 8 years that if India collectively decides to do something then India becomes a new hope for the world. Today the world is looking at us not just like a big consumer market but looking at us with hope and confidence as a capable, game-changing, creative, innovative ecosystem”, Prime Minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said each of the 13 Government schemes will be displayed on the Jan Samarth portal.
“This portal is going to make it easy so that citizens do not have to ask the same questions every time to avail themselves of a Government programme,” she said.