30 crore people came out of poverty line in past decade under PM Modi's leadership: Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said about 30 crore people in the country have come out of the poverty line in the past decade due to the schemes and policies adopted by the Centre under the "visionary" leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day Chintan Shivir of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Dehradun, Dhami said for several decades before Modi took over as the prime minister, the social welfare department remained limited to only a few selected works.

However, through the various schemes and policies of the Centre, efforts are now being made to bring the most backward class into the mainstream by encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship.

The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is not only improving the standard of living of the elderly, widows and the differently-abled people by giving them special pensions, it is also providing opportunities to the students to make their future bright by offering scholarships, Dhami said.

"Due to the schemes and policies adopted by the Centre under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas', about 30 crore people of the country have come out of the poverty line over the past decade," Dhami said.

Under the guidance of the prime minister, the Uttarakhand government is also working for social justice, the chief minister said.

Apart from increasing the amount of old-age pension, the state government is now giving it to both husband and wife in Uttarakhand, he added.

Listing the state government's welfare policies, Dhami said three gas cylinders are being provided free of cost to the Antyodaya families each year.

Similarly, along with giving scholarships to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe children from Class 1 to 12, 15 hostels, five residential schools and three ITIs are also being run for them free of cost, the chief minister said.

Free coaching and monthly scholarships are also being provided to the aspirants preparing for competitive examinations, he said.

"A grant of Rs 50,000 is also being provided for the marriage of girls from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories," he said.

Along with developing infrastructure in the tribal areas, a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore has been created for a tribal research institute, Dhami added.

"Under the Atal Housing Scheme, the state government is providing Rs 1,20,000 to the homeless Scheduled Caste families to build a permanent house. Also, 128 tribal villages have been selected under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan," the chief minister said.

With the cooperation of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, people in Uttarakhand are being trained to provide eye treatment and geriatric care to the elderly, while 4 per cent reservations are being provided to the differently-abled people in government jobs, Dhami said.

The government is also working on a plan to operate de-addiction centres in every district, he said. Addressing the Chintan Shivir, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar said that states have a very important role to play in providing the benefits of government schemes to the deprived communities.

Chintan Shivirs aim to create better coordination between the Center and the states for the effective implementation of different schemes.