Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the enthusiasm, passion and perseverance of Indian athletes at the Olympics were at their peak.
Modi was virtually interacting with beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna from Gujarat.
Modi said that this self-confidence comes when the right talent is identified and encouraged. In an indirect dig at the previous governments, Modi said that it also comes when the systems change and are transparent.
He pointed out that the largest number of athletes from India have qualified in the Olympics this time and this has been achieved battling against the pandemic, the biggest in 100 years.
Modi said that India’s athletes have not only qualified, but they are giving stiff competition to higher-ranked players and teams.
The performances in the Olympics are reflecting confidence of 'New India', he remarked.
Listing out achievements of his government, Modi said that now emphasis is being given to the development of both urban and rural areas, unlike in the past when development had nothing to do with the poor.
In yet another dig at the previous governments, Modi said that in the past, budgets for food for the poor kept increasing but the impact was limited. Hunger and nutrition remained, he said, as a proper delivery system was lacking and it also saw middlemen.
Modi said that the country was able to provide food grains to the poor as it could identify them during the pandemic. The whole idea, he said, was to ensure that no poor sleeps hungry. According to him, the scheme of provision of food grains will continue till Diwali 2021.
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The government has spent more than Rs 2,300 crore for the needy under this scheme during COVID-19 time, he said.
Modi appreciated the Gujarat government and said that it has been one of the first states in the country to have implemented a one nation, one ration card policy. During the pandemic, people from other states, who have been working in Gujarat, also got rations.
