NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the size and scale of government schemes while drafting policies so that the schemes reach everyone in the country.
Speaking at the launch of the book 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery' at the Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday, Shah said, "Earlier the policies were designed with a certain number of beneficiaries in mind, but he (Modi) made schemes for everyone in the country, including toilets, providing power connection, drinking water, houses or gas connection." Noting that Modi was not experienced in running a panchayat, Shah said that when he was made the Chief Minister of an earthquake-shattered Gujarat, he ran the state quite efficiently.
"His understanding to reach out to the last person of the society and how to deliver the schemes efficiently is a fine example of his approach towards governance, and this reflects in the many initiatives taken by the government under PM Modi's leadership," Shah said.
Describing the initiatives in the healthcare sector, the Home Minister said that Modi has introduced many new policies in the sector for all.
Mission Indradhanush, a nutrition programme for mothers and children, and health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to over seven crore people are some of the schemes that the PM initiated, he said.
Praising the New Education Policy (NEP), Shah said that earlier, education policies were made keeping job provisions in mind, but NEP is focused on enhancing the capability of students. "PM Modi has changed the state of education in Gujarat, where the dropout ratio has come down drastically. Whatever one may say, Gujarat's primary education is a model for the whole country," he asserted.
Referring to India's space policy, Shah said, "There was no space policy in the country before 2014, but the PM initiated a new policy for space science and has opened a new market for the country."
"Startups, production-based incentives for industries are the new measures taken by the Modi government which have boosted the economy," the Home Minister said, adding that "for the first time, India's defence policy came out of the shadow of its foreign policy".
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that eight years of the Modi government has led to a global debate on terrorism. "Prime Minister Modi practised development-focused diplomacy, focused on border infrastructure development to meet security challenges, took interest in trade and addressed all our Embassies to reach $400 billion in exports," Jaishankar said. (IANS)
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