President outlines NDA’s inclusive growth agenda
Centre committed to providing benefits to all and empowering the poor, said Kovind190 mn loans have been disbursed under Mudra Yojana. 300 mn more people need to be covered
PremiumNEW DELHI : The government is committed to providing benefits to all, and win everyone’s trust, besides working on eliminating poverty, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Thursday, outlining the centre’s inclusive development agenda in its second term.
Kovind said it was the constitutional objective of the government and parliamentarians to uplift India’s poor. In the last five years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, schemes for the welfare of farmers, labourers, differently abled, tribals and women have achieved widespread success.
“Only by empowering the poor can they be rescued from the vicious cycle of poverty. That is why the government has adopted an approach to empower the poor, the deprived and weaker sections, through provisions such as housing, healthcare, essential amenities, financial inclusion, education, skill and self-employment," Kovind added.
Speaking at the joint sitting of Parliament, Kovind said the Union government had laid the foundation of development in 2014 and it would now fulfil the basic needs of the people by building a strong, safe, prosperous and all-inclusive India, inspired by the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas.
“All of us have to move ahead with the resolve to realise the idea of New India by the year 2022, when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. In the New India, farmers’ income will be doubled, every poor will have a house, every poor will have access to clean fuel, every poor will have electricity connection, no poor will be compelled to defecate in the open, every poor will have access to medical facilities, every village in the country will be connected by roads, river Ganga will flow uninterrupted, and pollution-free and, in collaboration with states, India will be close to becoming a $5-trillion economy."
Identifying the growing water crisis as the biggest challenge for the country in the 21st century, Kovind said: “The way the country has shown seriousness about Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, the same seriousness must be shown in water conservation and management. We must conserve water for our children and future generations...". The President added that the creation of the ministry of Jal Shakti was a decisive step in this direction.
“Women are also being given priority in the registration of houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the rural areas, and nearly 2 crore new houses will be built in the next three years," Kovind said.
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