PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday, October 5, inaugurated ‘Azadi@75 – New Urban India: Transforming Urban Landscape’ Conference-cum-Expo at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow. PM Modi started his speech by welcoming the dignitaries on the dais and urging for maximum participation during this expo, which has been organised to mark 75 years of independence.
PM Modi recalled how people from all over Uttar Pradesh had shown great enthusiasm when Lucknow had hosted DefExpo-2020, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defense last year and expected similar participation this time too.
75,000 beneficiaries in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh provided houses under PMAY-U
“Today, the foundation stone of 75 Urban development projects of Uttar Pradesh have been laid, said PM Modi adding that the government is also digitally handing over keys of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) houses to 75,000 beneficiaries in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. He said that he was happy and satisfied that these beneficiaries will be able to celebrate all upcoming festivals, like Diwali, Chat Puja etc in their new houses.
The Prime Minister further said that what makes him even happier is that the ownership rights of at least 75 per cent of the houses provided to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have been awarded to females or at least they are joint owners.
Ownership rights of most houses under PMAY-U provided to women beneficiaries
Modi said that he is happy to learn that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has offered a 2 per cent reduction in stamp duty charges to women on registration of properties that cost Rs 10 lakhs or less. Modi emphasised that Indian society has traditionally been male-dominated and that this move is laudable, especially because women have never been valued in our country.
For a healthy society, it is important to strike a balance and this is the reason why the BJP government has decided that women would be granted the ownership right of houses provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
PM Modi thanks Lucknow for giving the country a visionary in the form of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
The Prime Minister further said that Lucknow has given a visionary in the form of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the nation dedicated to Mother Bharati. Today, in his memory, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chair is being established in Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University. “I am confident that this chair will elevate Atal Ji’s vision, actions, and contributions to nation-building on the international stage”, said Modi.
PM Modi lauded Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s contribution to the Indian economy. He said that his foreign policies and contribution towards India’s improvised connectivity are the backbone of India’s success. From rural roads to the Golden Quadrilateral and the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), Vajpayee’s ambitious dual vision transformed India’s economic policy framework.
At the time, the proposal by the Vajpayee-led government to connect the entire country through highways and roads was considered audacious. Some people could not believe that something as implausible as this was even possible.
“Similarly, six years back when I too proposed big infrastructure projects like crores of pucca houses for the poor, millions of toilets, fast trains, new gas pipeline network in various cities, optical fibre, the same people, out of habit, poked fun at my vision and felt that it would be impossible to achieve so much,” he said.
Number of pucca houses constructed under PM Awas Yojana has exceeded the population of many countries in the world: PM Modi
“Today, however, the world has witnessed India’s success in these various domains. Today, the number of pucca houses that are being constructed under PM Awas Yojana even exceeds the population of many countries in the world”, said the PM.
Pointing out hindrances faced during the UPA rule, PM Modi stated that before 2014, the government had approved only 13 lakh houses under the scheme. Out of this 13 lakh, the previous UPA government managed to build only 8 lakh houses. However, since 2014, the BJP government has approved the construction of more than 1 crore 13 lakh houses in various cities under PM Awas Yojana. Out of this, more than 50 lakh houses have been built and handed over to the poor.
The BJP government, unlike the government before 2014, handed over complete freedom, from the design of the houses to the construction of the houses, to the beneficiaries of the PM Awas Yojana.
Before 2014, there was no clear policy about the size of the houses of government schemes. However, After 2014, the BJP government made a clear policy regarding the size of the houses as it was decided that no house smaller than 22 square meters will be built, informed the PM.
Speaking about Uttar Pradesh alone, PM Modi stated that the government which was at the helm before the Yogi government had in their tenure given approval for the construction of 18,000 houses. The govt in place, however, built zero houses for the poor. But, since 2017, the urban poor have already got 9 lakh houses under the Yogi Government, asserted PM Modi. Additionally, the construction of 14 lakh houses is at different levels in the state.
Before 2017, Uttar Pradesh got 18,000 houses sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana. The govt in place, however, built zero houses for the poor!
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 5, 2021
Since 2017, the urban poor has already got 9 lakh houses under Yogi Ji’s govt!
– PM @narendramodi #TransformingUrbanLandscape
Along with the house, when the poor people will be gifted electricity, free gas and toilets too, then surely their ‘griha pravesh’ will be with a lot of ‘aan baan aur shaan’ (dignity and honour), added Modi.
PM Modi asks PMAY beneficiaries to light 18 lakh diyas and surpass Ayodhya’s record
Here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in jest posed a challenge before the Yogi Adityanath-led-Uttar Pradesh government ahead of Diwali celebrations next month.
The Indian Prime Minister appealed to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to light 2 Diyas on the occasion of Diwali and surpass the record of 7.5 lakh lit Diyas in Ayodhya. He had set up the mammoth challenge before the Yogi Adityanath government to ensure its implementation. At about 2 hours 27 minutes into the programme, PM Modi remarked, “Since I have come to Uttar Pradesh, I want to give some homework. But you will have to do it. Will you?”
He emphasised, “I have read in the papers that there will be an event during Diwali at Ayodya wherein 7.5 lakh Diyas would be lit. I want to encourage the people of Uttar Pradesh to join me in this competition of ‘light.’ I want to see that the 9 lakh houses allotted under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana light 2 Diyas each i.e. a total of 18 lakh Diyas as compared to Ayodhya’s 7 lakhs. Can this be done?”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Lord Ram will be pleased with such a sight. “The 9 lakh families who have been provided houses under the PMAY in the past 7 years must light 2 Diyas outside their homes on Diwali. About 7.5 lakh Diyas will be lit in Ayodhya. But, 18 lakh Diyas will be lit in the houses of my poor brothers and sisters. Even Lord Ram will be pleased,” PM Modi said.
Housing finance initiatives by the BJP government
Speaking on the housing finance initiatives taken by the BJP government, PM Modi said that he is glad that the Yogi government has implemented the Model Tenancy Act.
The Union Cabinet, on June 2, 2021, approved the Model Tenancy Act, 2021. The Model Tenancy Act aims to enforce a transparent ecosystem for renting premises, minimize litigations and reduce tenant-landlord disputes.
Modi added that his government has also made a very serious effort to overcome the problems and challenges of the urban middle class by implementing the Real Estate Regulatory Authority. This law has protected the interests of home buyers and also boost investments in the real estate sector.
Alongside, the BJP government has also allocated 1000s of crores to complete the construction of houses that have lied incomplete for so many years, asserted Modi, adding that his government is providing all sorts of assistance to middle-class people so that they can acquire their dream houses.
Central government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan
Moving on to the central government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, PM Modi said that people had gotten used to living with filth around them. This was not only affecting the tourism sector of the country but also was a major health hazard. To change the perspective of the citizens and develop awareness, the BJP government started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. More than 60 lakh individual toilets and 6 lakh community toilets were built all across the country.
Before 2017, only 18 per cent of the accumulated wastes went through the proper disposal process. But now, India’s solid waste collection efficiency, however, is around 70 per cent, informed Modi.
In Uttar Pradesh also many such initiatives are being taken to which would enhance the waste collection efficiency in the state.
PM Modi added that under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0, the central government is emphasising wiping out the mountains of garbage from India’s cities by processing all legacy waste.
LED light distribution scheme undertaken by the Modi government
Moving on, the Prime Minister spoke about how the central government’s effort to replace conventional street lights with high power consumption with power-efficient LED lights have paid off.
Urban bodies are saving about Rs 1 thousand crore every year due to the installation of LED street lights. Now, this amount is being used for other development works, said Modi, adding that the LED lights have also greatly reduced the electricity bill of the people living in the city.
LED स्ट्रीट लाइट लगने से शहरी निकायों के भी हर साल करीब 1 हजार करोड़ रुपये बच रहे हैं।
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 5, 2021
अब ये राशि विकास के दूसरे कार्यों में उपयोग में लाई जा रही है।
LED ने शहर में रहने वाले लोगों का बिजली बिल भी बहुत कम किया है।
– पीएम @narendramodi #TransformingUrbanLandscape
Modi added that under the Ujwala Yojana, the central government made LED bulbs available to consumers at a price of Rs 50-60 as compared to the open market retail price which is anything between Rs 350-600.
Till date, crores of LED lights have been distributed under the central scheme, which has resulted in estimated annual monetary savings of Rs 24,000 crore in consumer electricity bills, informed Modi.
PM Modi stresses on the importance of technology
Further emphasising the importance of technology, PM Modi said that technology has brought a big change in the urban sector in India in the last 6-7 years.
Technology is the basis of the Integrated Command and Control Centers that are running in more than 70 cities of the country today, said Modi.
“When we were in Gujarat, we heard people in Lucknow say “pehle aap…pehle aap,” PM Modi said in jest. Now, we must treat technology in the same way, added PM Modi stressing on how technology is the key to a better future.
PM Swanidhi Yojana
The Prime Minister here gave the example of the PM Swanidhi Yojana to underline how technology has changed the lives of the poor in India.
He said that under PM Swanidhi Yojana, street vendors have been linked with banks. Through this scheme, the help of more than Rs 2500 crore has been given to over 25 lakh poor people. More than 7 lakh street vendors of UP have taken benefit of Swanidhi Yojana.
Initially, like other central government scheme’s people mocked PM Swanidhi Yojana saying how these illiterate people would use digital platforms. But, PM Modi added that India is making new records in digital payments. In July, August, and September, India has managed to make transactions worth over Rs 6 lakh crore every month. This shows the strength of India that is swiftly changing and turning digital.
Before concluding his speech, PM Modi said that India in the 21st century is set to move ahead with the power of multimodal connectivity. “We’re swiftly working on that and will make sure all urban infrastructure schemes also create employment in big numbers”, assured the Indian Prime Minister.
PM Modi launches 75 urban development projects in Uttar Pradesh under Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT
It may be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to launch 75 urban development projects in Uttar Pradesh under Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT. Besides flagging off 75 buses under FAME-II for seven cities including Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Jhansi and Ghaziabad, PM Modi also released a Coffee Table Book encompassing 75 projects implemented under various flagship missions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The Indian Prime Minister also digitally handed over keys to 75000 PMAY beneficiaries in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
