Lucknow, Dec 10 (IANS): Ten Union ministers from Uttar Pradesh, who connected with beneficiaries of various welfare schemes in their Lok Sabha constituencies in the state during PM Narendra Modi’s virtual interaction with beneficiaries as part of ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, will continue to mobilize the beneficiaries and focus on linking poor, farmers, women and youths with government schemes and initiatives.
The PM's interaction was held on Saturday,
“The Viksit Bharat Yatras have so far travelled across 40,000 villages across the country. Now, there is a direct communication between the government and the people,” a party functionary said while listing various schemes of the government and how they had a positive impact on the poor and the downtrodden.
Some ministers said the opposition’s push on caste census would have little meaning till the poor were empowered.
“Earlier schemes were run for the sake of it. Now, the focus is on 100 per cent saturation. Opposition talks of caste census but what will that census achieve until the poor are empowered,” said minister of state, Pankaj Choudhary, a Lok Sabha MP from Maharajganj.
Union minister of state for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh from the Scheduled Caste, made people take the ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) pledge. On the occasion, a short film on how the country progressed in the past nine years was also telecast through mobile video vans.
Minister of state for home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ said, “PM Modi has clearly outlined his four castes -- youth, poor, women and farmers. When they develop, the country will develop too and that is when the country will realise the goal of Viksit Bharat.”
Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey in Chandauli, Minister of State for Surface Transport General (retd) V.K. Singh in Ghaziabad, Rural Development Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in Fatehpur, Housing Minister Kaushal Kishore in Mohanlalganj, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare S.P. Singh Baghel in Agra, Fisheries Minister Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in Muzaffarnagar and BJP ally and Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel, the minister of state for commerce and industries, will continue to interact with masses in their constituencies.