Namaskar,

Just now I got an opportunity to talk to all the mothers and sisters. I am happy that the festival of Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated after a few days and I got the blessings of mothers and sisters in advance. Today I have got the opportunity to present another gift to the sisters of crores of poor, Dalit, deprived, backward and tribal families of the country. Today many sisters are getting free gas connection and gas stoves as part of the next phase of the Ujjwala scheme. I once again congratulate all the beneficiaries.

Present in Mahoba, my colleague in the Union Cabinet, Hardeep Singh Puri ji, Chief Minister of UP Yogi Adityanath ji, my another cabinet colleague Rameshwar Teli ji, Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya ji, Dr. Dinesh Sharma ji, all ministers of UP government, my colleagues in Parliament, all respected MLAs, and my brothers and sisters,

The number of people and women that the Ujjwala scheme has illuminated is unprecedented. This scheme was launched in 2016 from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, from the land of Mangal Pandey ji, the pioneer of the freedom struggle. Today the second phase of Ujjwala is also starting from Mahoba, the valiant land of UP. Be it Mahoba or Bundelkhand, these have been spirited sites for the country's independence. Every particle here has the fragrance of the heroic tales of many heroes like Rani Laxmibai, Rani Durgavati, Maharaja Chhatrasal, Veer Alha and Udal. At a time when the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of the country’s independence, this event is also an occasion to remember our great personalities. 

Friends,

Today I also remember another great prodigy of Bundelkhand -- Major Dhyan Chand, our DaddaDhyan Chand.The name of the country's highest sports award is now the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. I am sure that the name of Dadda, associated now with Khel Ratna, will inspire lakhs and crores of youth in the wake of the phenomenal performance of our young players in the Olympics. This time our players have not only won medals, but have also given an inkling for a better future by performing well in many events.

Brothers and sisters,

We are about to herald the 75th year of independence. But if we look at the progress of the last seven- and-a-half decades, we feel that there were some situations which could have been changed many decades ago. There were many basic needs like home, electricity, water, toilets, gas, roads, hospitals and schools, for which the countrymen had to wait for decades. This is tragic. It is our mothers and sisters who have suffered the most because of this (apathy), especially the poor mothers and sisters.It is the mother who has to face the problem due to the leaking roof of the hut. It is the mother who has to face the problem due to lack of electricity. If the family falls sick due to polluted water, even then the mother has to face the maximum problems. Thereis a problem for mothers and daughters as they have to wait for darkness to go out due to lack of toilets. If there is no separate toilet in the school, then there is a problem for our daughters. Many generations like us have grown up seeing the sight of the mother rubbing her eyes near fireplaces in the kitchen in the scorching heat.

Friends,

Can we move towards the 100th year of independence in such conditions? Will we spend our energy only in meeting basic needs? How can a family, a society fulfill their big dreams if they continue to struggle for basic facilities?How can dreams be fulfilled, unless society gets this belief and gathers the confidence to fulfill them? And how can a country become self-reliant without self-confidence?

Brothers and sisters,

When the country gave us the opportunity to serve in 2014, we asked ourselves these questions. It was very clear that we had to find solutions to all these problems within a stipulated time. Our daughters would be able to come out of homes and kitchens and contribute extensively in nation building only when the problems related to home and kitchen were solved first. Therefore, everything has been done on a mission mode in the last 6-7 years to find solutions. Crores of toilets were built across the country under the Swachh Bharat Mission.  Pucca houses of more than 2 crore poor were built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The ownership of most of these houses is with our sisters. We built thousands of kilometers of rural roads and gave electricity connections to about 3 crore familiesthrough the Saubhagya Yojana. Ayushman Bharat scheme is providing free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to more than 50 crore people. Thousands of rupees are being deposited directly into the bank accounts of expecting mothers for vaccination and nutritious food during pregnancy under the Matru Vandana Yojana. Bank accounts of crores of sisters were opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana, in which the government deposited about 30,000 crore rupees during the Corona period. Now work is underway to provide pure water from pipes to our sisters of rural families through the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Friends,

Ujjwala Yojana has put great emphasis on the resolve of ensuring health, convenience and empowerment of sisters. In the first phase of the scheme, eight crore poor, Dalit, deprived, backward and tribal families were given free gas connections. We have seen its benefits during the Corona period. When there was no movement and businesseswere closed, then crores of poor families were given free gas cylinders for several months. Imagine, what would have been the condition of our poor sisters in times of crisis had the Ujjwalascheme not been there?

Friends,

Another impact of the Ujjwala scheme has been that the infrastructure related to LPG gas has expanded manifold in the entire country. In the last 6-7 years, more than 11,000 new LPG distribution centers have been opened across the country. Uttar Pradesh alone had less than 2,000 distribution centers in 2014. Today it has exceeded more than 4,000. Due to this, thousands of youth got employment and secondly, families who were earlier deprived of gas connections got access to it. It is because of these efforts thatthe gas coverage in India is very close to being 100%. More gas connections have been given in the last 7 years than they were in the country till 2014. Efforts are also underway to resolve the problems of booking and delivery of cylinders, which were there earlier.

Brothers and sisters,

Today one more facility is being added to the existing facilities in the Ujjwala scheme. Many of our comrades from all over UP and other states, including Bundelkhand, go to other states from villages to cities to work. But they face the problem of proof of address. The second phase of the Ujjwala scheme is going to provide the maximum relief to lakhs of such families. Now my labor colleagues do not have to wander for proof of address. The government has full faith in your honesty. All you have to do is give a self-declaration of your address through writing and you will get a gas connection.

Friends,

Now the government is working in the direction of providing gas through pipesas it happens with water in your kitchen. This PNG is also much cheaper than the cylinder. The work of providing PNG connections in many districts of Eastern India, including Uttar Pradesh, is going on at a brisk pace. In the first phase, a target has been set to connect about 21 lakh houses in more than 50 districts of UP. Similarly, a massive effort is underway for CNG-based transport.

Brothers and sisters,

When dreams are big, the efforts to achieve them should be equally big. Today on the occasion of World Bio-fuel Day, we have to remember our goals again. We just saw a small documentary regarding what is happening in the sphere of bio-fuels. Bio-fuel is not just a clean fuel;rather it is also a medium to accelerate the engine of self-reliance in fuel, the engine of development of the country and the engine of development of the villages. Bio-fuel is the energy that we can get from household and farm waste, from plants and from rotten grains. The country is working on bio-fuel-ethanol goals. In the last 6-7 years, we have come very close to the target of 10 percent blending in petrol. In the next 4-5 years, we are moving towards achieving the target of 20 percent blending. The target is also to manufacture such vehicles in the country which will run on 100% ethanol.

Friends,

Ethanol will make commutingcheaper and the environment will also be safe. But the biggest benefit will accrue to our farmers and youth, especially to those from UP. When there will be an option to make ethanol from sugarcane, then sugarcane farmers will get more money and that too on time. Ethanol worth Rs 7,000 crore was purchased from ethanol producers in UP in the last year alone. Over the years, many units related to ethanol and bio-fuel have been set up in UP. In order to make compressed biogas from sugarcane residue, 70 districts of UP are in the process of setting up CBG plants. Now three big complexes are being built to develop bio-fuel from agricultural residue and stubble. Of these, two are being built in Badaun and Gorakhpur in UP and one in Bathinda in Punjab. With these projects, farmers will get paid for waste, thousands of youth will get employment and the environment will also be protected.

Friends,

Similarly, there is another important scheme, GobarDhanYojana. This scheme encourages the production of biogas from cow dung. This will also bring cleanliness in the villages and such animals which are not useful for the dairy sector and do not give milk will also be gainful. Yogi ji's government has also built many Gaushalas (cow ranches). This is an important effort for the care of cows and for the protection of farmers' crops.

Friends,

Now the country is moving towards fulfilling the dream of a better life, by achieving basic amenities. We have to increase this potential manifold in the next 25 years. Together we have to realize this resolve of a capable India. Sisters are going to have a special role. I once again convey my best wishes to all the beneficiary sisters of Ujjwala. I feel blessed that I got an opportunity to do this service to mothers and sisters ahead of the holy festival of Raksha Bandhan. I feel blessed. May your blessings be always there so that we continue to work with new energy to serve Mother Bharti, the 130 crore countrymen, the villages, poor, farmers, Dalits, victims and backwards. With this desire, best wishes to you. Thanks a lot!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VK/AK