Dream of skilled, clean India says PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced an ambitious financial inclusion plan to bring those not having a bank account into the ambit of banking through “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana”. Under this plan, the poor will be provided a bank account with the facility of a debit card and a built-in insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.

“I wish to connect the poorest citizens of the country with the facility of bank accounts through this yojana. There are millions of families who have mobile phones but no bank accounts,” said the PM in his Independence Day address to the nation. Mr Modi said that the economic resources of the country should be utilised for the well-being of the poor.

Mr Modi also called for developing skills to provide meaningful employment of millions of young Indians. “India is a country of youngsters with about 65 per cent of the population below the age of 35. Our country is world’s most young country. Have we ever thought of utilising it? Today the world needs skilled workforce, today India also needs skilled workforce,” the PM said.

He said that there are unemployed youth but “we don’t get what we need” in terms of skilled manpower. “If you want the country to progress on the path of development, then skilled development should be our mantra,” he added.

The PM also announced a scheme under which MPs will develop one model village each in their constituencies. “There are several schemes named after leaders and former Prime Minis-ters. I want to announce a scheme named after the MPs under which they will adopt and develop one village each in their respective constituencies,” he said adding that he would like the RS MPs and the MLAs also to participate in the scheme, the blueprint of which would be announced on the birth anniversary of Jai Prakash Narayan on October 11.