Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has called for India to become economically ‘aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). She said the Modi government is close to reaching saturation in implementing social sector schemes designed to provide basic necessities to the poor.

Addressing students of Hindu College, a institution under Delhi University, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, she regretted that 60 years of Independence had passed without any sense of urgency. Though earlier governments also had schemes for providing houses, roads, etc, the sense of urgency was missing. The fundamental necessities were not accessible to nearly 50 per cent of the population 50 or 60 years post independence.

“We have laid the foundation for a Viksit Bharat and are empowering people by providing basic necessities to all,” she said. Since 2014, there has been a sense of urgency, “Push the border forward, you take it further. Make sure everybody who’s actually eligible to get those, get it. The approach (of the government) is to empower people, skill people, give access and ensure that everyone gets good health treatment and so on.”

The Minister said the government has saved Rs 2.5 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) by weeding out dummy and undesirable beneficiaries. DBT has not only improved transparency in government fund transfer, but also enhanced efficiency through the use of technology, she added.

Stressing that the government doesn’t differentiate between people, Sitharaman said that was why the Prime Minister has categorised India in four groups -- Youth, Women, Farmers and Poor -- and efforts are being made for the betterment of these groups, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. India is nearly self-sufficient as far as agriculture is concerned, except in oilseeds and pulses.

Terming the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony of January 22 as a ‘civilisational marker’, she said, this was a fortunate moment for the generation that could witness the restoration of civilisational values.

She urged the students to focus on skill development as well as on values -- both civilisational and nationalistic. Reminding students that the country celebrates National Voters’ Day on January 25, she said, it is not just the right of citizens to vote, but also their duty, and first-time voters have an even greater responsibility.

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