For me, there are 4 Jatis'- poor, youth, women and farmers: PM Modi

Bhopal, New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that for him, there are four ‘jatis’ (castes) —the poor, youth, women and farmers —and that he had made it his priority to ensure dignity and respect for the deprived.

Addressing a function organised to disburse the long pending dues of around 4,800 workers of Hukumchand Mill in Indore, closed over three decades ago, through video conference, Modi said that the employees of the liquidated factory can now look for a bright future since their dues have now been settled.

Modi said that getting the blessings of labourers on the occasion of the Good Governance Day, being observed on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, will prove to be beneficial for the “double-engine” government and the people of Madhya Pradesh.

He added, “Dignity and respect for the poor and deprived is our priority. Empowering workers to contribute to the growth of the country is our goal.”

Speaking at an event in Delhi, Modi said examples of good governance set under his rule have dispelled the notion that a government cannot be run without scams.

Speaking after releasing the first series of 11 volumes of collected works of eminent scholar and freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Modi said the constant endeavour of his government has been to provide basic amenities to the common people at their doorstep so that they don't have to run between offices.

“Among the key aspects of good governance are honesty and transparency. In this country, it was widely accepted that a government cannot be run without scams. Pre-2014, there were discussions about scams running into lakhs of crores.

“But, during our rule, several initiatives of good governance have dispelled those notions full of suspicion and doubt,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said for any government to become powerful, its institutions play an important role.

Malviya, during his lifetime, set up many such institutions that developed national character.

“Banaras Hindu University is known to all. He also set up several other institutions such as the Rishikul Brahmacharya Ashram at Rishikesh, the Bhartiya Bhawan Pustakalaya at Prayagraj and the Sanatan Dharma Mahavidyalaya in Lahore. Malyvia ji dedicated several institutions to the nation,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said walking in the footsteps of Malviya, his government has also created institutions to impart momentum to development by carving out a separate cooperation ministry.

“In Jamnagar, the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine has been laid and the Indian Institute of Millets Research has been set up.

“India has also set up the Global Bio-fuel Alliance, International Solar Alliance, and initiated the India-Middle East Economic Corridor ... India has been the creator of institutes of national and international importance,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi said despite being a scholar of the English language, Malviya was always a votary of Indian languages and their use for official purposes.

Modi said his government was implementing the National Education Policy that gives primacy to Indian languages and higher education courses were now being taught in the mother tongue.

“It is unfortunate that the nation had to wait for 75 years for this to happen,” the prime minister said.

He said the country is indebted to the great personalities who made invaluable contributions to the nation and he was privileged to release a book of Malaviya's works.

The function, also attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal among other dignitaries, was held on the occasion of the 162nd birth anniversary of Malaviya.

The bilingual (English and Hindi) work in 11 volumes, spread across about 4,000 pages, is a collection of writings and speeches of Malaviya, collected from every part of the country.

These volumes comprise his unpublished letters, articles and speeches, including memorandums; the editorial content of Hindi weekly 'Abhyudaya' started by him in 1907; articles, pamphlets and booklets written by him from time to time.

It also contains his speeches given in the Legislative Council of the United Provinces of Agra and Awadh between 1903 and 1910; statements given before the Royal Commission; and speeches given during the presentation of bills in the Imperial Legislative Council between 1910 and 1920.

There are also letters, articles and speeches written before and after the establishment of Banaras Hindu University; and a diary written by him between 1923 and 1925.

The work of researching and compiling the documents written and spoken by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was undertaken by the Mahamana Malaviya Mission, an institution devoted to propagating the ideals and values of Malaviya.

A dedicated team of the Mission, led by eminent journalist Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, has worked on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya's original literature without alatering the language and text.

The Publications Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has published these books.