Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told Balvir Kaur, a sarpanch from a border village in Jammu, to secure her chair while she was pushed around by someone during a video interaction of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra beneficiaries with the PM.
“Apni kursi sambhaliye,” the PM said to Kaur, sarpanch of Rangpur village and a farmer from Arnia in Jammu district.
She informed the Prime Minister that she had availed of the benefits of multiple government schemes namely Kisan Credit Card scheme, Farm Machinery Bank Scheme and Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna.
During the interaction when someone pushed her away from her seat, the Prime Minister, in a lighter vein, asked Kaur to be mindful of her chair.
“Ab sarpanch woh hi ban jayengi,” PM joked.
Kaur said her village was located near the border and she was working to develop it.
Modi congratulated her for being the owner of a tractor that was purchased using the Kisan Credit Card.
“You have a tractor. I do not have even a bicycle,” the PM told her.
He emphasised the need to create awareness about attaining saturation of government schemes and suggested that Kaur reach out to 10 neighbouring villages and spread the word. The Prime Minister underlined the belief that all benefits reach the last person standing in the queue. The Prime Minister also complimented her on having data pertaining to her area on her tips.
“Aap se hi seekha hai grassroot par kaam karna. Kaam karti hoon aur bhoolti nahi hoon. (I have learnt from you to work at the grassroots and not forget details about the work),” she said.
Throwing light on the purpose of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Prime Minister said it aims to learn from the experiences of the existing beneficiaries and also encompass those who have not yet availed the benefits.
When Kaur said that people from the border area do not tell lies, the Prime Minister said, “In our country, not only border area residents, but people in general do not tell lies. Truth is in the very nature of our nation. Only a few stray people who have gone on the wrong path resort to lies.”
