PM launches projects in election-bound Jharkhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a pension plan targeted at farmers, traders, shopkeepers and the self-employed, offering an old-age safety net to people dependent for a livelihood on such largely unorganised sectors, as the Centre eyes upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand.

“Jharkhand has become a launch pad for big and welfare schemes for the poor and tribals. The national health protection scheme, Ayushman Bharat, was launched from Jharkhand, which has benefited over 4.4 million people, including 300,000 in Jharkhand,” Modi told a public meeting attended by an estimated 100,000 people.

Jharkhand, together with Haryana and Maharashtra, is set to hold assembly elections later this year. All three states are governed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came back to power at the Centre with a resounding mandate from the April-May general elections.

Modi used the occasion to list the achievements of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, saying it was working to improve every aspect of the life of the poor, be it health, education or income generation. “We are making all efforts to provide social security to every Indian citizen,” he said.

PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojna (PM-KMY) for small and marginal farmers is aimed at benefiting an estimated 50 million farmers across the country. The scheme is meant for marginal farmers, i.e.; farmers who own up to two hectares of cultivable land. Farmers between 18 and 40 years of age qualify for it.

Under the PM-KMY, a monthly pension of ~3,000 will be given to eligible farmers on attaining the age of 60. They will need to make a monthly contribution of ~55 to ~200 depending on their age at the time of enrolling in the pension plan. The Centre will make an equal contribution.

Likewise, under the Pradhan Mantri-Laghu Vyapari Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-LMY), traders, shopkeepers and self-employed people, from rickshaw pullers to vegetable vendors, will earn an assured minimum monthly pension of ~3,000 after turning 60.

The prime minister distributed pension cards to farmers from states including Jharkhand, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. One of the beneficiaries from Jharkhand, Bimla Devi, said: “This is the first time that the government has given a thought to our age-related problems. I am happy I received the pension card from Prime Minister Modi.”

Modi also unveiled a Multi-Model Terminal on the Ganga in Sahibganj, inaugurated a new Jharkhand assembly building in Ranchi and the Ekalvya Model Residential School scheme for the construction of 462 schools by 2022 besides laying the foundation of a ~1,238-crore secretariat building in the state capital.

The PM said his government had intensified its crusade against corruption and started sending the guilty to jail.

“During the Lok Sabha elections, I had promised to the people a ‘Kamdaar’ {hardworking} and ‘Dumdaar’ (robust) government. The functioning of the first 100 days of my government was just a trailer. Picture abhi baaki hai (The best is yet to come),” Modi said. Among the achievements of his government in the first 100 days of its second stint, Modi mentioned the criminalisation of Triple Talaq, the Muslim practice that allowed husbands to divorce their wives by uttering the word ‘talaq’ three times, and the strengthening of anti-terror laws, among other things.

“We had promised that those who had looted the people would be sent to their right place (jail). We are working on this expeditiously and some have already landed in jail,” Modi said.

Some opposition parties have accused the BJP-led government of using central investigating agencies to intimidate their leaders and divert the attention of the people from real issues.