PM Modi's 11 years of governance shining example of public service, development: Chugh

Jalandhar: BJP leader Tarun Chugh on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 11 years of governance as a "shining example of public service, nation-building, and transformational development".

He said in 2014, India was the 11th largest economy with a GDP of USD 1.86 trillion.

"Today, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we stand as the world's fourth largest and fastest-growing economy with a GDP of USD 4.187 trillion," he said.

The Modi government completes 11 years on June 9.

Chugh said the Modi government has fought a decisive battle against poverty, lifting over 25 crore people out of the poverty line.

With zero tolerance for corruption, the government adopted the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, which successfully transferred over Rs 44 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries, eliminating middlemen.

He noted that under the PM Mudra Yojana, over 52.5 crore people received loans amounting to over Rs 33 lakh crore,” and 68 per cent of these beneficiaries are women.

Highlighting the Modi government's works, Chugh said the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) delivered 3.7 crore houses, and the PMAY (Urban) ensured 1.18 crore urban families received new homes.

Besides, an additional three crore houses have already been announced, he said.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 15 crore households have received tap water, and India achieved 100 per cent sanitation coverage with 12 crore toilets built, said the party's national general secretary in a statement.

On healthcare, Chugh said Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest health insurance scheme, has provided free hospital treatment to over 9.3 crore people, including all senior citizens above 70.

The e-Sanjeevani platform has delivered telemedicine services to over 35 crore patients, he added.

He said that 7.71 lakh km of rural roads were constructed under Modi's tenure. The world's highest railway bridge on” Chenab, the Vande Bharat trains, and the UDAN scheme have drastically improved national connectivity.

The agriculture budget increased five-fold, and Rs 3.68 lakh crore was transferred to 9.8 crore farmers under PM-Kisan Yojana, he said.

Chugh said, "Punjab is a land of martyrs, and the Modi government has honoured this legacy through initiatives like the redevelopment of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, with four new museum galleries." A special investigation team was constituted for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases, reopening 300 closed cases and providing relief and jobs to the victims' families, he stated.

In agriculture, over 23 lakh farmers in Punjab receive Rs 6,000 annually under PM-Kisan.

The Kartarpur Corridor was opened, fulfilling a decades-old spiritual aspiration of the Sikh community, he said.

The BJP leader said Rs 40,000-crore Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway covering 669 km will not only improve direct connectivity to Harmandir Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, Tarn Taran, and Vaishno Devi, but will also bring economic empowerment to the region.