VARANASI: Amid the tariff stalemate with the USA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sent a strong message to the world that protecting India’s economic interest was paramount.Speaking in his parliamentary constituency on Saturday, the PM emphasised that the “top priority of the government remains the welfare of farmers, small industries and employment for youth.” He reaffirmed the resilience of the Indian economy, saying that the country must remain vigilant about its economic interests and adopt ‘swadeshi’ products.“There is an atmosphere of global instability. All countries are focusing on their individual interests. India is going to become the third biggest economy in the world and this is why India will have to stay alert as far as its economic interests are concerned,” the PM said, two days after UP President Donald Trump called India a ‘dead economy’. CM Yogi Adityanath and two deputy CMs, Keshav Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were present on the occasion.Addressing a public gathering at Kalikadham in Sevapuri after transferring Rs 20,500 crore directly into the bank accounts of over 9.70 crore farmers as the 20th installment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and inaugurating and laying the foundation of 52 projects worth around Rs 2,200 crore, the PM urged people to go ‘Vocal for Local’. “Anyone who wishes good for the country and wants to see India become the third-largest economy must encourage this spirit of going local,” he said.The PM urged traders to promote ‘swadeshi’ products, terming it a true national service, and appealed to citizens to use Indian-made goods during the upcoming festivals and wedding seasons.He also advised people to hold weddings in India instead of abroad, highlighting that many young people were already doing so. “Every choice we make in favour of ‘Swadeshi’ will shape the future of the country. With everyone’s effort, the dream of a developed India will come true. From now on, let’s pledge to buy and decorate our homes with only Indian-made products,” he added.Modi highlighted his government’s farmer-centric policies, stating that unlike previous governments, the BJP administration has fulfilled its promises to farmers, citing the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi as a prime example. “When this scheme was launched, opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress left no stone unturned to mislead farmers by claiming that after the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it would be stopped and even the money transferred into the accounts of farmers would be taken back. However, Rs 3.75 lakh crore has been transferred directly to farmers’ accounts so far,” he said.In UP alone, 2.5 crore farmers have received over Rs 90,000 crore, while farmers from Kashi got Rs 900 crore, he added.Referring to the transparency maintained in the schemes of his govt, Modi said, “There are no cuts, commissions, or middlemen. We created a permanent system where there’s no leakage and no one can steal the rights of the poor.”Prime Minister Modi emphasized developing the most backward regions with his mantra of ‘High priority to more backward’. He highlighted the newly approved PM Dhan Dhanya Agriculture Scheme, focusing on underdeveloped districts with low crop production and income.He said the govt will invest Rs 24,000 crore in this scheme to support farmers from ‘lab to field’ and ‘seed to market’ for their products. Massive investments are being made in irrigation, and under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, over Rs 1.75 lakh crore in claims were already paid out to farmers.Modi also mentioned a record increase in the MSP for farmers. Emphasising the govt’s focus on boosting women’s participation in agriculture through initiatives like Lakhpati Didi and Drone Didi, he stated that the aim is to empower 3 crore rural women financially, with over 1.5 crore already becoming Lakhpati Didis. Taking a subtle dig at the opposition, the PM said: “Hearing these numbers, SP leaders might just hop on their cycles and run away.“Despite agriculture being a state subject, the Centre has taken proactive steps to enhance farmers’ income and living standards by implementing beneficial schemes, PM Modi said.He praised banks for launching a mega campaign and holding fairs in villages across the country for KYC renewal of the account holders under the Jan-Dhan scheme on the completion of its 10 years of launching.Modi also marked the distribution of assistive devices under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana to 2,000 Divyangs by handing over devices, including low vision glasses to Babli Kumari (visually impaired student), sports wheelchairs to Santosh Kumar Pandey and Vikas Kumar Patel, hearing aids to Kishun, and a motorized tricycle to Sita Kumari Pal (teacher).Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined the event virtually from Patna.
