Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited his home state Gujarat and said India would have been disease-free by now if programmes like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were started 70 years ago. He also said that his initiatives aimed at making a healthy nation was mocked at by the Opposition. He said that going by the WHO report ensuring cleanliness in the country can save the lives of three lakh children in India.
“There has been a recent WHO report, (which states) that just because of (by ensuring) cleanliness, three lakh children can be saved from dying in India, such is the situation. The Swachhta Abhiyan is directly connected to health.
“When I used to talk about cleanliness, they (Opposition) used to make fun of me. Is this the PM’s work... to make toilets, clear garbage? Had all these works been done 70 years back, the country would have been disease-free by now,” Modi said, after inaugurating several projects in Gujarat’s Junagadh district.
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS of PM Modi's Gujarat visit:
# 15:32 PM: The health sector requires good doctors and paramedical staff. We also want medical instruments to be made in India. The health sector must keep pace with the technological advancements globally: PM Modi.
# 15:30 PM: Government's emphasis on cleanliness is being universally appreciated. Cleanliness is important because a Clean India ensures that people do not suffer from diseases, says PM Modi in Junagarh.
# 12:58 PM: When the festival of Raksha Bandhan is around the corner, nothing can be better than getting a house as a gift. Just days before the festival, gifting a house as a brother to more than 1 lakh families gives great satisfaction to me: Narendra Modi at Valsad rally.
# 12:47 PM: It is my dream, it is our endeavour to ensure that every Indian has his own house by 2022. Till now, we only heard about politicians getting their own homes. Now, we are hearing about the poor getting their own homes, the prime minister added.
# 12:40 PM: The wonderful homes under PM Awas Yojana are being made possible because there are no middlemen, says Modi.
# 12:38 PM: PM Modi addresses a public gathering at Valsad, Gujarat.
#12:35 PM: I got an opportunity to talk to women across the state today who got their homes under PM Awas Yojana: PM Narendra Modi.
# 11:45 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributes certificates to beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Gramin in Valsad.
# 11:12 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a public meeting in Valsad, also to distribute certificates to beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin.
# 10:20 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Surat.
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During his day-long visit to Gujarat, PM Modi will also address a public gathering in Jujwa village near Valsad town to witness the e-griha-pravesh (online housewarming) of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (gramin), a flagship scheme of the Centre which envisions housing for all. As per the latest data, over one lakh houses have been completed in Gujarat under the PMAY scheme while many more would be constructed in the shortest possible time.
Post that, Modi would be performing the ground-breaking ceremony of a water supply project meant for the tribal population in Dharampur and Kaprada talukas.
Later in the day, the prime minister will move to Junagadh town in Saurashtra, where he will be inaugurating a slew of developmental projects, including a newly-built hospital of the Gujarat Medical and Education Research Society and two fisheries colleges at Veraval town in the Gir Somnath district.
The day-long schedule also includes another address of PM Modi at the Police Training College ground near Junagadh.
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Meanwhile, BJP president Amit Shah, who is one of the trustees of the Somnath temple, is expected to accompany Modi during the trust meeting in Gandhinagar. On a related note, former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel serves as the president of the Somnath Trust.
Earlier, PM Modi's visit to Gujarat was slated for July 20 but was postponed owing to incessant downpour and flood-like situation across the state. On August 18, the prime minister conducted an aerial survey of the rain-savaged Kerala and announced an immediate relief of Rs 500 crore for the southern state of India.
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