There is such a long list of names; I am not taking everybody’s name; others have already mentioned them a number of times, you may not have forgotten.

Today, a number of projects are being dedicated to the country from the land of Nagpur. Today is 14th April, the birth anniversary of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. It is an inspiring occasion. It was my privilege to visit the Dikshabhoomi in the morning and to bow down to that holy land. I have come to you drawing new energy and new inspiration from that place.

What will happen to the lives of the dalits, the down-trodden, the deprived villages, the poor, the peasants of this country in Independent India? What will happen to their hopes and aspirations? Whether these people will have any say in the Independent India? All these questions were answered and guaranteed by Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the Constitution. And as a result of that, due to constitutional support, today, every section of the people of the country has the opportunity to do something and the same opportunity motivates them for realizing their dreams with excitement and enthusiasm.

Personally, I have experienced that despite poverty the journey of life can be successfully and effectively carried forward and the source of such an inspiration is Baba Ambedkar Rao. One should not shed tears due to poverty and should not be distracted by the effect, this balanced life becomes a force for the depressed classes, and this strength was provided by Baba Saheb Ambedkar through his life. When bitter experience becomes part of a person’s daily life - getting humiliated, tortured, and despised, often a person with a narrow mind fills his mind with this bitterness; and a feeling of revenge gets the better of him which he tends to reflect through his activities. People tend to become vindictive. If he is humiliated in his childhood, in school, at workplace his mind becomes revengeful.  Despite terrible sufferings, this sort of bitterness never entered Bhimrao Ambedkar’s mind. He neither showed any resentment in his words nor while drafting the Constitution. Only on such occasions, the greatness of a person can be understood. We hear of Shivaji's greatness as to how he had drunk the poison. But Baba Saheb Ambedkar used to drink poison every moment in his life and yet he had showered nectar on the people. So we are trying to dedicate some new schemes to the country, on the birth anniversary of that great man and bow to that ‘deeksha bhoomi’ where he took a new birth.

Many schemes and new buildings are getting underway today. About two thousand MW capacity power plant was dedicated to the nation. Energy has become an integral part of life. No dream of development is possible without energy. And in the 21st century, energy has become the right of every citizen even if it has not been legally provided but it has become the right. If the country has to be taken forward in the 21st Century, if India is to transform into a modern India, energy is the first prerequisite. On the one hand, the world is challenging Thermal Power due to environmental concerns; on the other hand, it is the only support for developed countries. Since there is a need to find a way to get rid of such a huge conflict at the global level, India has shown the world that we are the people who consider the whole world and the universe as one family; so we will not let anything happen to our family and will not push our future generations into any crisis. Therefore India has dreamt of generating 175 Giga-watts renewable energy - Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Hydroelectric power projects etc. Nitin ji was telling that the waste water generated by the people of Nagpur is recycled and used for the production of electricity. I congratulate Nagpur for this environment-friendly initiative. In other parts of the country too, the concept of zero waste is gradually developing.

Today, a huge housing programme has also been launched. In the year 2022 we will celebrate 75 years of independence. For a moment, let us try to live the kind of a life that was 75 years ago. Let us recall the era of 1930s, 40s and 50s, when people had laid down their lives for the country, sacrificed their lives to hoist the tricolour in the independent India, embraced death and spent their lives in jails for the independence of motherland from the shackles of slavery. The brave heroes of this country had shown such strength that the number of gallows became less than the number of those who became martyrs for the country. The result of innumerable sacrifices was that our motherland became independent. But these freedom fighters also had some dreams of how India should be. They did not get that opportunity. We did not get that opportunity to sacrifice our lives for the country’s freedom but we have got an opportunity to live for the country.

The year 2022 will mark 75 years of independence. It is 2017 and we have five more years. If the 125 crore people of the country decide that just like those great men who have laid down their lives for freedom, I too will contribute for making that India which they had dreamt of; I will certainly contribute, and that resolution will be in the right direction. I have no doubt regarding the fact that by the year 2022 India shall be strong enough to stand in front of the world. I have a dream; and that dream is: by 2022, the poorest of the poor of our country shall have a house to live in. There should not be any poor person in this country without a home to live in. Such a home should have all the amenities like electricity, water, a stove, a school for children nearby, a hospital nearby for the elderly. Why can’t we visualize such an India? Can’t the 125 Crore people wipe out the tears of the poor of our country? The time has come to live those dreams which Bhim Rao Ambedkar had dreamt of while drafting the Constitution. If we make a resolution to do something for our country by 2022, I believe this dream will certainly be fulfilled.

I congratulate the Government of Maharashtra for implementing the schemes of the Central government effectively. Work is going on for the construction of a large number of houses and it is going to generate huge employment opportunities for the people. The poor will get home and at the same time, those who are involved in the construction of the houses will also get employment. Those who make the cement will get work, the iron makers will get the job - everyone will get job. There is also a great possibility of creating jobs. There is a huge campaign to build houses in every corner of India. Today I got the opportunity to start one.

The 21st century is the century of knowledge. And human history is a witness to the fact that whenever mankind has been in the Knowledge era, India has always been the leader. The 21st Century is the era of knowledge. There is a great opportunity for India to take up the leadership. With the construction of new buildings, leading institutions like IIIT, IIM, and AIIMS will have their own campuses. The youth of Maharashtra and India will get the opportunity to create a bright future by honing their talents through these institutions. I wish my younger generations a very good luck as I am dedicating this to the nation.

We have been working towards Digital India extensively. One of the aspects of it is - Digi-dhan, and I believe, that day is not very far when the poorest of the poor will say that ‘Digi-dhan’ is ‘niji-dhan’ (personal wealth). This is going to be the voice of the poor. I have seen even many learned people to protest against this initiative of a Cashless Society. I have listened to such speeches that were not only weird and bizarre, but also very funny. It was not expected from learned people.

You would have seen that even in a wealthy family where the son is staying in a hostel, the parents discuss between themselves and are reluctant to send huge cash lest their son’s habit gets spoilt. Whether it is a rich family or poor, if the son asks for five rupees, the father will give him two rupees. Less cash holds significance in life as we have experienced it in the family. A Happy family does not give bundles and bundles of money to sons, because they know what happens with it. Less is better than the problems of plenty. Whatever happens in the life of a person is also true to the society, to the country and to the economy of that country. We must bring this straightforward and simple understanding into practice. The business can be run with less cash and there was a time when Gold used to be the only currency. There used to be Gold coins; then it evolved into leather-currency and paper currency. Several have been seen. And every era has accepted every such change. During that period too there definitely would have been people who might have opposed such changes; probably due to absence of newspapers these things did not get published. But there will be changes and opposition to those changes. Now the time has changed. You have alternate systems available, safe arrangements are available such as the BHIM App. And I believe just as Bhimrao Ambedkar has done the work of giving rights to the common man through the constitution of India, in the similar way BHIM App is going to work as the leading factor of the economy. Mark my words - no one can stop; it shall happen.

You will be surprised to know that in a country like India billions of rupees can be saved if the expenditure on printing of currency, its transportation in a secured manner etc. is curtailed. This money can be used to build homes for the poor. The country can be served in such a great way. And all this is possible; so we should do it. The change is possible if we are determined to move towards a less-cash economy. I am amazed how five policemen are engaged to protect one ATM, while providing security for a human being is difficult as they will be busy in protecting the ATMs! In a cashless economy, your mobile phone will become your ATM. And the time is not far when premises-less and paper-less banking is going to be part of your lives. This means that your mobile phone will not only be your wallet but also will be your bank. The technological revolution is becoming a part of economic life. This digi-dhan scheme was lauched on December 25, on the day of Merry Christmas. It was implemented in 100 cities in hundred days. And today, on April 14, the birth anniversary of Baba Ambedkar Saheb, as well as on Good Friday, we are launching this BHIM App. We have come so far successfully since the day of Christmas.

Today, people are worried that what will happen to the people who do not have mobile phones? I have read a lot of interesting speeches in parliament saying that the country does not have smart phones etc. We tried to explain that even a cheap mobile phone worth Rs. 800-1000 can serve the purpose but how do you make a recalcitrant person understand! But now you do not even need a mobile phone. You all have a thumb, don’t you? There was a time when thumb used to be a sign of illiteracy. How that time has changed! Now that very thumb has become the centre of your power. Today the youngsters are busy hours together with their thumbs for typing messages. Technology has made the thumb powerful. And therefore BHIM-AADHAAR can make India proud. Even the advance countries of the world do not have this system in place which India has.

Now the people who have accepted the BHIM App after a lot of resistance are now engaged in opposing the Aadhaar. They will continue with this. Whether you have a mobile phone or not, if you have a Aadhaar number the problem will be solved. When you visit a shopkeeper, you will see that he has a small instrument. The bigger PoS machine will also not be needed, the small one instrument of about two inches will be produced in front of you and your thumb impression will be taken. If you already have your Aadhaar number seeded with the bank and you buy an item worth ten rupees, then that amount will automatically be deducted from your account. There is no need to carry even a single penny with you. Your business will not be hindered; we are going in the right direction. Such is the Bhim-Aadhaar system. And you will see that one day greatest universities around the world will come to India for researching on ‘BHIM-AADHAAR’ as a case study. All the youngsters will study. It is going to be the basis of an economic transformation in the world. This will become a reference.

And I was asking Shri Ravi Shankar ji yesterday whether the Indian government got it patented or not, because the world is going to study this system. I met the leaders of the African countries recently. They were also curious about it and asked whether I could help them to introduce this system in their country. It can gradually spread to the whole world and India can be a catalytic agent in the process.

Under the Digi-dhan scheme several programmes were organized in hundred different cities of India. Lakhs of people took part in the programme enthusiastically and tried to understand the technology. Several people received attractive prizes and one of the recipients of the awards from Chennai declared that he would donate his award money for the Ganga cleanliness drive. I congratulate him. This digi-dhan scheme is basically a cleanliness drive, to clean the country of its prevalent corruption and black money.

I want to tell the countrymen that whether you like the concept of less cash or not, the dream of cash-less society or not, but there will be not be a single person in this country, who doesn’t have a strong anger against corruption. The bribe-giver would also be angry, and the bribe-taker would think that the Modi government has come to power; if I get caught, what will happen? Till today whatever has happened is not acceptable but now we have a tool to fight this evil. Whoever will help me by using BHIM-Aadhaar, they are my soldiers in the fight against corruption and black money. It is a very powerful tool for me. And so I invite my youngsters! Two new things have been added to this. We will run this scheme till October 14. Today is April 14th. On October 14, Baba Saheb Ambedkar had taken initiation.  October 14 was a holy occasion for Baba Saheb Ambedkar. So there is a special plan from 14 April to 14 October. You must have seen that the youngsters show the desire to do some work during vacations and earn money for themselves. The children of the wealthy family also hide their identities and go to such a place and do such things as they want to train themselves as there is a less scope due to their wealthy family background. They go to the hotels, clean the utensils, serve tea, etc. Many go to work in petrol pumps. Today this generation wants to live with pride and such thinking is shaping its mind.

Earlier we used to hear that in foreign countries the youngsters work for two to three hours at night, take up a part-time driving job etc. alongside their study. They study and work part-time for earning. Today, this concept has penetrated into India as well but we never paid attention. Under this BHIM-AADHAAR, I invite the young people of my country in these vacations. There is a Referral plan for it which means that if you explain the Bhim App to anybody, say to a merchant or any citizen, help him download the Bhim app on his mobile phone and with your inspiration, if he carries out three transactions of say fifty rupees, 30 rupees or 100 rupees, then the government will add 10 rupees to your account for every person you teach. If you teach 20 people in one day, then by the evening you will have 200 rupees in your pocket. You need to fix the three months of your vacation for earning 200 rupees per day. Tell me my young friends; is this a difficult task for you? You don’t have to do anything. You just need to teach and explain it. And the businessman who will use the BHIM-App at his shop for running his business will get 25 rupees. This amount will be deposited in his account. That is what you can explain to him. And this scheme will be going on till October 14, the day of Baba Saheb Ambedkar's initiation. We have six months. Every youngster can earn Rs10 thousand to 15 thousand easily during this vacation. And you will become my biggest helper in winning the battle against corruption, so I invite you to learn this scheme. I am broadly telling you about the scheme but when you read the details write-up of the plan you will surely understand its nitty-gritties. Since your exams are now over, I want the youth of the country to take your mobile phones and make an attempt to understand this app and start teaching 20 people, 25 people or 30 people per day. You will go home with an earning of Rs 200-300 and you will be able to spend the next year's expenditure from your pocket money. You will not have to ask for money from poor parents. It is an effort to bring about revolution.

Today, 75 Townships were declared as the areas that transact with less cash. This means that the townships where people live in, townships of different fertilizer companies, railways, townships of soldiers, 75 such townships have declared themselves less-cash townships. So when the first such township came up, I took their presentation. I asked how the vegetable vendor would be benefitted. Why should he come into this business? He gave an interesting answer. The vegetable vendor said, earlier in this township, I used to sit on the footpath for selling vegetables; the women who used to buy vegetables never gave the change. For example, if the bill was 25 rupees 80 Paise then they paid only 25 rupees and did not pay the 80 paise. Even the women from wealthy families, or the wife of a rich babu did the same. After this initiative, I get the whole amount i.e. 25 rupees and 80 Paise. And said that earlier, his earning used to be Rs 15-20 less, but now he earns 15-20 rupees extra. Now see how a poor man has been greatly benefitted.  This ‘75 township’ is a good starting point. It should be for each of us to take the country towards less-cash, and contribute in this way. And let us become soldiers in this revolution. We should carry this idea forward.

Today more than Rs. 250 crores have been given away as prize money; I am sure that the people who have received prizes should not be complacent just by receiving the prizes. These thousands of people who have received prizes should become the Ambassadors to take this idea forward. It is a very successful campaign to help bring change in the country with the help of the citizens. I congratulate Ravi Shankarji and his entire team and NITI Aayog for creating a full-proof technology. All the types of technologies in the world have been studied and the best thing about this is that even the common man and the poorest of the poor in India will be able to use it. A user-friendly and trustworthy system has been developed. I once again congratulate all the colleagues in the department. I congratulate the Government of Maharashtra that Nagpur has been served well for organising this programme. I got an opportunity to meet you all. Thanks a lot.

 

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AKT/IG/MG/AK

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