In Poll Pitch, PM Modi Gives Daily 'Report Card' of His Govt's Schemes to Traders

New Delhi: In a strong re-election pitch to the business community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi enlisted the achievements of his government and gave a “report card" of his performance to traders at the Talkatora stadium in the capital.

“Not your master, but at your service," PM Modi began his speech amid a huge round of applause from the traders’ community present at the event. The PM touched upon various schemes launched by his government such as the Jan Dhan Yojana and Ayushman Bharat.

Beginning with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, PM Modi said that through this scheme nearly 70,000 women in India receive free gas cylinder daily, while over 50,000 get free electricity under the “Saubhagya" Yojana.

He said that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and the direct benefit transfer scheme has ensured that the poor receive benefits of government schemes directly in their bank account. Besides, the Prime Minister added that around one lakh traders daily avail free loans from the government with the help of the MUDRA Yojana.

Giving an extensive calculation of all the Yojanas from its inception, PM Modi said, “Like businessmen maintain a register every evening to calculate their personal finances, I do the same for the entire country, every day."

“Swachh Bharat provides over 60,000 toilets daily and close to 1.3 lakh farmers get soil health cards on a regular basis," he added.

The Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said, extends free treatment to close to 9,000 poor people across the country every day. He also said that over one lakh people gained from the Surakhsha Bima Yojana for insurance.

The BJP government, he said, has stood by traders in thick and thin and will upon re-election set up a National Traders' Welfare Board to address their issues.

The PM said he has in the five years of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre worked to simplify lives and businesses of traders by scraping 1,500 archaic laws, simplifying processes and providing easy credit.

Traders are "backbone" of the Indian economy but had in past never got the respect they deserved.