PM Modi releases first instalment of benefits to one lakh people under tribal welfare scheme

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the country can develop only if benefits of various welfare schemes reach all, asserting that it is his guarantee that everyone, even those in the remotest of areas, will benefit from them.

Releasing the first instalment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh beneficiaries of a rural housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) via video conferencing, he said the 10 years of his government have been dedicated to the poor.

The budget of many welfare schemes for the Scheduled Tribes has risen by five times and the scholarship for tribal students has grown by two-and-a-half times in the last 10 years, he said, adding that the work is on to construct more than 500 Eklavya model school for them while only 90 existed earlier.

His government has exerted its full force to ensure that extremely backwards among the tribal population benefit from its every scheme, he said.

Modi also credited guidance from President Droupadi Murmu, India's first tribal woman head of state, for the PM-JANMAN scheme, saying as someone who has come from the same background she often spoke about the issues facing them during her interactions with him.

Noting that Diwali is being celebrated in Ayodhya in the run-up to the consecration of Lord Ram's idol at the temple there, he said the festival is also being celebrated at the homes of these one lakh families who have received the first instalment of fund to construct their own houses.

This is a matter of big happiness for him, the prime minister said.

More than four crore pucca houses have been built for the poor by his government, he said, asserting that those who were always ignored earlier have not only been reached out by him but also worshipped, he said.

During the event, Modi interacted with some beneficiaries of PM-JANMAN as they highlighted the positive changes in their lives after they availed of government schemes to get access to cooking gas connection, electricity, piped water and housing.

"It is the endeavour of our government that no one is left out of its welfare schemes," he said.

The first instalment of Rs 540 crore was released to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin.

PM-JANMAN was launched for the socio-economic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on November 15 on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

PM-JANMAN, with a budget of approximately Rs 24,000 crore, focuses on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries and is aimed at improving socio-economic conditions of PVTGs by saturating PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.