Ranchi: Speaking at Jharkhand today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, ‘thanks to Pradhanmantri Sinchai Yojana launched by our government, India’s 99 irrigation projects that were stalled for last 30-40 years are being completed. Even files (of these projects in earlier governments) were missing. Do you know how much we are spending on these projects? Around Rs. 90,000 crore are being spent. That’s nearly Rs. 1 lakh crore. This is the way we work. If I wanted to do just politics, if I wanted to keep farmers just as vote bank, it was very easy for me. What was the need to inquire about these schemes day-and-night? What was the need to work hard for these projects? What was the need to make babus run? I could straight away waive off Rs. 1 lakh crore debt of farmers and distribute the money! But I have not chosen the path of misleading the farmers. I have not committed that sin. Debt waiver could be effective for one year, one generation, but water brought through Rs. 1 lakh expenditure would do good for coming centuries, coming generations of farmers. We didn’t do vote-bank politics, we worked to strengthen the farmers. These games of winning elections have resulted into debt-riddern farmers. They have made a system that everything depends on government. We believe, country should not function by government but by citizens, the country should function on the basis of strength of people.’

PM said, ‘There wouldn’t have been a need for farmers to take loans had the previous Congress governments completed the projects that were meant to benefit farmers. First they forced farmers to take loans, now they’re misleading them in the name of loan waivers.’

PM unveiled plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of revival of North Koel (Mandal Dam) project and Kanhar Stone Pipeline irrigation system. He inaugurated the collective e-griha pravesh of twenty five thousand beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana through video conferencing.

DeshGujarat