CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for women empowerment, saying empowering women tantamounts to empowering the entire family. His BJP-led NDA government is working on this concept to facilitate the development of the nation.
“When we empower women in a family, we empower the entire household. When we help with a woman’s education, we ensure that the family is educated.
When we facilitate her good health, we help keep the family healthy. When we secure her future, we secure future of the entire home,” he said while launching the Amma two-wheeler scheme at a packed Kalaivanar Arangam near Marina beach here on Saturday.
The Amma two-wheeler scheme for working women and also the planting of 70 lakh saplings marked the 70th birth anniversary celebrations of former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa, here. The AIADMK government’s scheme was announced in the run-up to the 2016 Assembly elections. It provides 50 per cent subsidy to working women to buy two-wheelers.
“I am glad to be able to launch one of her dream projects — the Amma two-wheeler scheme. I am told that on Amma's 70th birth anniversary, 70 lakh saplings will be planted across Tamil Nadu. These initiatives will go a long way in empowerment of women and protection of nature,” the PM said while addressing the huge gathering.
“We made a change in the Factory's Act and suggested states to allow women to work in night shifts as well. We also extended maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. Under the PM Awaas Yojana, the registry of the House is done in the name of the woman,” Mr Modi said. Lashing out at the Congress, he said, during the UPA regime Tamil Nadu had received '81,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission. “But after the NDA came to power, this state received '1,80,000 crore under the 14th Finance Commission.”
“Over '24,000 crore worth projects are currently being implemented through the Government of India in Tamil Nadu. After NDA came to power, we sanctioned '3,700 crore for the Chennai Metro Rail Project,” he said listing out the schemes for the state. As part of its mission to provide housing for all by 2022 and TN has been given '700 crore during 2016 - 17 and '200 crore for rural housing during 2017 — 18 respectively besides '6,000 crore under the Urban Housing scheme.
The Union government has been working towards modernisation of fishing in TN and has given Rs.100 crore for long line trawling.
On Sunday, the PM will visit Puducherry. At Aurobindo Ashram, he will offer floral tributes to Shri Aurobindo, and interact with students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.
He will also release a commemorative a postage stamp on the golden jubilee celebrations of Auroville.
PM floors Dravidian stalwarts with extempore oratory
In the Dravidian state where the political stalwarts are known for their fiery speeches albeit from carefully prepared and rehearsed texts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stunned all at the Amma scooter function with his extempore oratory that froze many dropped jaws on the decorated dais.
Not just that, he also made it clear that he did not have to subscribe to the Amma agenda set by the host government and used most of his 20 minutes at the mike to explain in his signature stentorian tone the many schemes that his NDA Government had done for the people in general and for the women in particular; for India in general and for Tamil Nadu in particular.
He did not care to touch on Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s appeal to speed up the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Regulation Committee “as per the directions of the honourable Supreme Court”.
That would be the business of the officials already vested with the responsibility and there was no need to play to the gallery by making fancy promises for the sake of crowd applause, the PM must have thought.
On the other hand, his speech—prepared with great care and in deliberate detail—served as a clear warning to the Dravidian politicos and their well-entrenched parties that it would be possible to hold an audience even on home turf by dumping the filmi rhetoric and sticking to hard facts backed by real statistics.
It was clear that the men on the podium were clean bowled by the manner in which the PM spoke on the many national projects his government had implemented to help the people.
The huge audience in the hall-and surely the thousands watching on TV at homes-were clearly impressed. But what must have stunned them even more was that he did not need to refer to any notes when he listed out the projects done for Tamil Nadu.
“Over '24,000 crore worth projects are currently being implemented through the Government of India in Tamil Nadu”, said the PM. “After NDA came to power, we sanctioned '3,700 crore for the Chennai Metro Rail Project…Centre is working to provide housing to every person by 2022. TN has been given '700 crore during 2016 - 17 and R'200 crore for rural housing during 2017 - 18.
Under the Urban Housing scheme, TN has been given '6,000 crore. The Union government has been working towards modernisation of fishing in TN and has given '100 crore for long-line trawling”.
All that had come straight from the mind, not from any written text under the mike-light.
But lo, Prime Minister Modi does not have anyone worth the saffron tinge in Tamil Nadu who could learn from his public speaking skills and challenge the Dravidian leaders on the many rival podiums-none at all.
Understanding the heaviness of the burden the boss was leaving behind on that Kalaivanar stage, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan sat stunned as he listened to the PM not just speak about his government's development and welfare projects but also roll out specific statistics to punctuate that. How on earth was he going to try anything like that ever in his life, Ponnar might have thought as he listened spellbound; or perhaps, drew images of himself doing something like that at his own public rallies down the districts.
