Govt committed to development of citizens living in tribal areas: PM Modi

New Delhi: The government is committed to the development of citizens living in tribal areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he lauded a tribal woman from Chhattisgarh for her knowledge of government schemes.

The prime minister was interacting with thousands of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra beneficiaries from across the country via video conferencing with Union Ministers, MPs, MLAs and local-level representatives also joining the event.

Bhumika Bhuaraya, who belongs to an agricultural family from Kanker, Chhattisgarh, informed the prime minister that she works as a secretary of one of the 29 'Van Dhan' groups in her village and she has availed the benefits of various government schemes including Ujjwala Gas connections, Jal Jeevan, MNREGA Card, Ration Card and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Impressed with Bhumika's awareness about the various government schemes, the prime minister said that it provides strength to the government to work for the people.

PM Modi also enquired about the availability of ration on time.

When he asked about the source of her vast information about the government schemes, she responded by saying that it was her parents and other family members.

Modi also lauded the contributions of her parents in imparting education to both the children including her younger brother who is currently studying in a college and urged other residents of the village to invest in the education of the children.

She also informed the prime minister about her self-help Van Dhan Group which produces Mahwa Ladoo and Amla pickles which are sold to the mart at Rs 700 kg per kg.

Prime Minister Modi expressed satisfaction that all the benefits have been made available to the beneficiaries without any hassle and also appreciated her efforts in making appropriate use of Mahwa, which is generally used for intoxication.

"The government is committed to the development of citizens living in tribal areas," Modi said, crediting Bhumika for the positive results produced by Van Dhan Kendras.

He spoke about PM Jan Man Yojna launched on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda and said it is going to be of great help to the tribal people.

Modi also interacted with Saeed Khwaja Muihuddinn of Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh, who is a member of a 102-year-old cooperative group.

Muihuddinn informed the prime minister that only after the current government’s initiative, NABARD offered the group a Rs 3 crore loan for storage under the agri infrastructure scheme.

This enabled the group to construct five godowns, he said.

The prime minister saluted the spirit of the local farmers for running a group for more than 100 years.

Discussing the trend of natural farming, Modi asked the farmers to control the use of fertilizers as many people are adding nano urea to urea consumption.

"I request the farmers of the country not to use both urea and nano urea. Use Nano wherever available," he said.

"When the government works with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', schemes reach to the last person. Even after that somebody is left out 'Modi ki Guarantee ki Gadi' will cover that," he said.

He added that there is a plan to create two lakh storage units.

During the programme, Gurwinder Singh Bajwa of Gurdaspur Punjab told the prime minister that the biggest gain of the journey of Viksit Bharat is that farmers have organised into small groups to get the best possible deal in the agri sector.

He informed the prime minister that his group of farmers is working on "poison-free" agriculture and for that, he received a subsidy for machinery.

This helped the small farmers in ‘parali’ (crop residue) management and the health of the soil also, Bajwa said.

"Now the farmer is feeling that he will get proper support," Bjawa added.

When the farmer told the PM that expectations are high as "Modi hai to Mumkin Hai (It is possible when Modi is there)", PM Modi said that it is possible because farmers listen to his requests.

The prime minister also renewed his appeal to take up sustainable farming.

Lakshmi Prajapati from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh whose family is engaged in the business of terracotta silk informed the prime minister about forming the Lakshmi self-help group which includes 12 members and approximately 75 associates with a collective annual income of close to Rs 1 crore.

Explaining the idea behind PM Vishwakarma Yojna, Prime Minister Modi said it is a life-changing scheme that provides modern tools and technology to all artists and craftsmen.

Shuyaya Ralte from Aizawl, Mizoram who has been an organic farmer since 2017 told the prime minister about producing ginger, Mizo chilly and other vegetables and mentioned being able to sell his produce to companies located as far as New Delhi, thereby enjoying a significant increase in his income from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,50,000.

Since the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra's launch on November 15 last year, Modi has regularly interacted with the beneficiaries all across the country.

The Yatra is being undertaken to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner.