President lauds govt’s welfare schemes, says India is running world’s largest food distribution drive
President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament today, the President lauded the various schemes and initiatives of the Government for the welfare of people.
Highlighting the various initiatives of the Government, the President said, Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission will not only help in meeting the present health needs, but also prepare the country for any crisis situation in future. He said, due to the sensitive policies of the government, now health services are easily accessible to the common man in the country. More than 80 thousand health and wellness centers are functional and crores of Ayushman Bharat cards have helped the poor. He added that the government has reduced the cost of treatment by making medicines available at affordable prices through more than eight thousand Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
Reiterating the Government’s mantra of Antyodaya, he said, the government is giving free ration every month to all the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. He said, Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity has empowered citizens. He said, crores of beneficiaries have got the benefit of direct cash transfer during the pandemic due to the connectivity of more than 44 crore poor countrymen with the banking system.
Talking about the success of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the President said, more than two crore pucca houses have been provided to the poor under the scheme. He said, Jal Jeevan Mission has started making a big difference in the lives of the people. Mr. Kovind said, the government is working relentlessly to empower the rural economy and the farmers of the country and the government has made a record government procurement of food grains. He said, the country’s agricultural exports have also increased at a record level due to the efforts of the government. He said, agriculture exports have registered a growth of more than 25 percent in the year 2020-21.
He highlighted that more than 11 crore farmer families received one lakh 80 thousand crore rupees under the PM-KISAN scheme. He said, in order to ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their crops, it is necessary that their products reach the right market. In this direction, the government has endeavoured to open new avenues of prosperity for the farmers by launching Kisan Rail Seva.
He said, the government is also making investments for developing infrastructure near farmlands. He added, thousands of projects have been approved under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund with the corpus of one lakh crore rupees. He said, the government has also taken forward the plans for interlinking of rivers. The Ken-Betwa link project is to be completed at a cost of 45 thousand crore rupees which will help in ending the water crisis in Bundelkhand region.
Stressing on the need to empower women, the President said, the Government has taken several steps for their welfare. He said, it has raised the age of marriage for women to 21 years to bring gender equality. He said, the government has made a beginning to liberate the society from the manifestly arbitrary practice of Triple Talaq by making it a criminal offence.
A provision has also been made for the Gender Inclusion Fund in the National Education Policy to promote learning capability among girls. He said, the government has also approved the admission of women cadets in the National Defence Academy and the first batch of women cadets will enter the NDA in June this year.
Mr. Kovind said, the Centre is implementing a new National Education Policy to give shape to the resolve and potential of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He said, local languages are also being promoted through the policy.
The President asserted that the government is working with utmost determination to ensure a safe and secure India and the country is becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. He said, the country is making special efforts for the development of neglected states and regions. He said, the government has started a new central sector scheme for the industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, many important steps have also been taken to provide better opportunities for education, health and employment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
At present, works are in progress on seven medical colleges and two AIIMS, one in Jammu and another in Kashmir. Construction of an IIT and an IIM in Jammu is also going on in full swing. He said, Border Roads Organization has constructed a transport-worthy road at 19 thousand feet, the highest altitude for such a road, at Umling La Pass in Ladakh. Even the most remote villages like Demchok in Ladakh, Joling Kong in Uttarakhand and Huri in Arunachal Pradesh have been connected by modern roads.
He said, the government is committed to the sustainable development of all the states of the North East. He said, in these states, basic amenities and economic opportunities are being developed at every level. He said, Rail and air connectivity are no longer a dream for the people of the North East.
