Namaskar!

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji, Ministers and MLAs of the State Government, Panchayat members, other dignitaries and all my brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh!

First of all, I wish you all a very Happy Dhanteras and Deepawali! During Dhanteras and Deepawali, when we make a new beginning, paint the house in new colours, buy new utensils and add something new, we also make new resolutions. With a new beginning, we fill our lives with freshness and new doors open for happiness and prosperity. Today 4.5 lakh poor sisters and brothers of Madhya Pradesh are making a new beginning. Today 'Griha Pravesh' (house warming) ceremony has been organized for all these friends for their new pucca houses. There was a time when only those people could buy big and expensive possessions like cars and houses on Dhanteras, who had the resources and money. But today, even the poor of the country are able to perform 'Griha Pravesh' on Dhanteras. My heartiest congratulations to lakhs of sisters of Madhya Pradesh, who have become the owners of their houses today! And now you are 'lakhpatis' because of the houses that are worth lakhs of rupees.

Brothers & Sisters,

I am able to see countless people filled with infinite aspirations in front of me through technology. Earlier these aspirations and dreams did not come to the fore because without a home these feelings would be suppressed, hidden and later withered away. I believe, now that these friends have got these new homes, they have also got new strength to make their dreams come true. Therefore, this day marks not only 'Griha Pravesh' but also ushering in happiness, new resolutions, new dreams, new vigour and new fortune. Fortunately for our government, in the last 8 years, we have been able to fulfil the greatest dream of life of 3.5 crore poor families under PM Awas Yojana. And it is not that we built four walls and handed over to them just to fulfil our promise. Our government is dedicated to the poor. So it understands the aspirations and needs of the poor very well. The houses that our government provides also include other facilities like toilets, electricity, water and gas connection. Therefore, these facilities and various schemes of the government make these crores of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana complete.

Friends,

While talking to you, I am also reminded of the earlier situation. Earlier even if the house was announced for the poor, they had to build separate toilets on their own. They had to visit different government offices several times to get electricity, water and gas connections. During the regime of previous governments, the poor had to pay bribes to get the entire process done. Moreover, after the houses were announced for the poor, the government used to dictate the type of house that should be built. They would provide the design and tell them where to get the construction materials. Now, a person who is supposed to live in the house has different tastes, likes and dislikes and social traditions. But the poor were not asked about these things. That is why, Griha Pravesh was never possible even in the few houses that were built earlier. But we have given this freedom to the owners of the house. That is why today PM Awas Yojana is becoming a medium of huge socio-economic change.

Brothers & Sisters,

Often we see that one generation passes on its acquired wealth to the next generation. Due to the wrong policies of our earlier governments, people were compelled to hand over homelessness to the next generation. And the person who used to break this vicious cycle of several generations, was highly praised and glorified. I am fortunate that as a servant of the country, as a son of crores of mothers of the country, I have got a chance to bring my crores of poor families out of this vicious circle. Our government is working day and night to provide pucca houses to every poor. That is why today such a large number of houses are being built. In Madhya Pradesh too, about 30 lakh houses have been built under PM Awas Yojana. At present work is underway for 9-10 lakh more houses.

Friends,

These lakhs of houses are also creating employment opportunities in every nook and corner of the country. This morning when I was in the programme related to the job fair, I had told them that I was going to attend a house warming ceremony in the evening. Now I am going to tell in detail how employment is associated with it.

Friends,

You know that when houses are built, the demand for materials related to construction, such as bricks, cement, sand, gravel, steel, paint, electrical items, toilet seats, taps, pipes, increases. When this demand increases, the factories manufacturing these materials employ more people. More people are needed for transporting the goods. More people also get employed in those shops where these goods are sold. And Satna understands this very well. Satna is known for limestone and cement. When houses are built, the demand for Satna's cement also increases. Workers involved in the construction of houses, masons, carpenters, plumbers, painters, furniture makers also get a lot of work. I am told that more than 50 thousand masons have been trained in Madhya Pradesh itself. Out of these, 9,000-10,000 are our mothers and sisters. They are 'Raj Mistry' or master masons. Some people also call them 'Rani Mistry' or queen masons. That is, PM Awas Yojana is doing a commendable work of connecting our sisters with new skill and new employment opportunities . Otherwise, in the field of construction, sisters were considered as unskilled labourers. So far in Madhya Pradesh itself, Rs 22 thousand crore has been spent in building these houses. Now you might be thinking where did Rs 22 thousand crores go? Part of the money was used to build houses and part of it was used for different related works, like getting materials from shops and partly was also used in factories. Therefore, these houses are bringing progress to all. Not only the ones who get the houses are progressing but also the entire village where houses are built.

Brothers & Sisters,

There is a major difference between the earlier governments and us. The previous governments used to harass the poor. They made them visit their offices time and again. Whereas, our government is reaching out to the poor itself and is running a campaign so that the poor get the benefit of every scheme. Today we are talking about saturation, that is, how to deliver the benefits of every public welfare scheme to 100% of the beneficiaries? There is no nepotism or partiality. It is given to every rightful beneficiary. We are working day in and day out to ensure that everyone gets pucca houses, gas-water-electricity connections, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat, good roads, good schools, colleges, hospitals and optical fibre network in a short time. Why are we in this hurry? Why are we so impatient for getting these things done? There is a crucial lesson from the past behind this. Every such basic facility was in a limbo for the last several decades. A very large population of the country used to struggle for these basic facilities. They didn't even have the time to think about other things. Therefore, every promise and every claim of poverty alleviation used to be just politics. They didn't work for anyone. No matter how passionate the commander might be, if the soldiers do not have the basic tools for fighting, then it is impossible to win the war. That's why we decided to rapidly connect every citizen of the country with those basic facilities to help them get out of poverty and defeat poverty. Now the poor, being equipped with facilities, are making efforts to come out of poverty rapidly. And this house which you have been given is not just a place to live, eat, drink and sleep in. I would say that your house is like a fort that will not allow poverty to enter. The remaining poverty will also be eradicated.

Brothers & Sisters,

For the past several months, the central government has been giving free ration to more than 80 crore countrymen so that they do not have to suffer from hunger during the pandemic. For this, the central government has so far spent more than Rs 3 lakh crore on PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. And I want to tell you one more thing. When the taxpayer feels that his money is being spent in the right place and in the right manner, then the taxpayer also feels happy, satisfied and keeps paying more tax. Today, crores of taxpayers of the country feel satisfied with the fact that by paying taxes they are helping feed crores of people during the Corona period. Today, as I am handing over four lakh houses, every taxpayer must be thinking that along with me even my poor brother from Madhya Pradesh is also celebrating Diwali well. Now his daughter's life will be full of happiness too.

But friends,

When the same taxpayer sees that freebies are being distributed with the money collected from him, then the taxpayer feels disheartened. Today many such taxpayers are writing letters to me openly. I am glad that a large section of the country is gearing up to rid the country of this 'Revari' culture or freebie culture.

Friends,

The goal of our government, apart from fulfilling the aspirations of the citizens, is also to help the poor and the middle class save money. So far about 4 crore poor patients have availed the benefit of free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Due to this, these families were able to save thousands of crores of rupees as it was borne by the government. Thousands of crores of rupees were spent by the government on free vaccination during the Corona period so that the poor and the middle class did not have to spend money or take loans as a result of this sudden crisis. First Corona had struck us and then the war in the neighbourhood. Consequently, we are compelled to buy expensive fertilizers from the world today. We are giving a bag of urea which costs more than Rs 2,000 today, for just Rs 266 to the farmers. Bags worth Rs 2000 are given for less than Rs 300! To ensure that the farmers are not burdened, this year the government is spending more than Rs 2 lakh crore for the same. The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi of the Central Government is also proving to be a boon for the farmers. You must have seen that the installment of Rs 16 thousand crore which was transferred a few days back had reached every beneficiary farmer immediately. Right now our government has deposited more than Rs 2 lakh crore in the bank accounts of farmers. And this assistance has reached the farmers just before their sowing time when the farmer needs fertilizers and pesticides. If the farmers sell the crop, the money now comes directly into their bank accounts. MGNREGA money is also directly deposited to the bank accounts. Even when our pregnant mothers are in need of nutritious food, thousands of rupees under the Matru Vandana Yojana reach them directly.

Brothers & Sisters,

The government is able to accomplish these tasks today because of its spirit of service and dedication to all of you! And no matter how much someone criticizes us, we are moving forward with dedication, your blessings and with political will for the welfare of the poor. That is why today technology is being used on such a large scale. Whatever new technology our scientists and youngsters come up with is being used to make the life of the common man easier. Today, the survey of houses is being done from village to village with drones. Earlier, the work which the Patwari and the Revenue department used to do is now being done by drones or technology. For the first time in the country, maps of village houses are being prepared under the SWAMITVA scheme and certificates of ownership are being given to the villagers so that there are no disputes and illegal possessions of the houses. They can also get loans from banks if needed. Similarly, the use of drones is being emphasized on a large scale in agriculture and the farmers are getting the benefit of drones . A few days back we took a major step for the farmers. The lakhs of fertilizer shops that are present across the country are being developed as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras. Now the farmers will get everything they need at one place at these Kisan Kendras. Many agricultural equipment and even drones will be available on rent at these centres in future. A major step has also been taken regarding urea. Now the farmers have been freed from the dilemma of which company to buy the urea from? Now fertilizers will be available under one brand name called ‘Bharat’. The price is also clearly written on it. The farmers do not need to pay more than this price written on it. I am sure that with such efforts, the life of the farmers and the poor will become easier. We will all work towards building a developed India. Once again I congratulate all the beneficiaries of the pucca houses and I can imagine how elated you are! This is your house. Probably the past 3-4 generations have not celebrated Diwali in their own house. Today, when you are celebrating Dhanteras and Deepawali in your own homes with your children, then the brightness of this lamp will illuminate your life. I wish you all the very best! May the blessings of God be on you and this new home should become a reason for new progress! Thanks a lot!

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

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DS/LP/IG/AK