Amit Shah: Modi implemented what makers of Constitution imagined as ‘ideal state’

Speaking on the national health insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Shah said, "More than 60 crore people are given health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh by the government of India."

Over 10,000 security personnel, including central forces and the Border Security Force, have been deployed throughout the state. (File Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented what the makers of the Constitution imagined as the “ideal welfare state”, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday.

Speaking at the 35th anniversary of the Lok Seva Trust, an NGO founded by Congress veteran Rajkumar Gupta, in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Shah said, “When it was decided to establish democracy in India, we decided to frame the Constitution. All parties, all religious leaders and all states were involved and the Constitution Committee was formed. At that time, the President of the Constituent Assembly – Rajendrababu (President Rajendra Prasad) — gave a summary saying that our country must be a welfare state. Everyone should get welfare and have a life of dignity. This is the type of country we decided to build.”

Shah said, “Every government did how much they could in their time but when I do an analysis as a student of numbers… I can definitely say that before 2014 everyone did a piecemeal job (tukda-tukda kaam). There is no government that has not worked for the poor. Every government has brought a scheme to build houses for the poor, have taken it forward, brought schemes to give water to the poor, get them gas cylinders, provide medical services, and free rations. But no government has talked about freeing the country from poverty.”

He said, “In 2014, the people of India elected Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister and he promised that there will not be a single house where there is no toilet. They will not be a single person without a house. They won’t be a single person without gas. There won’t be a single person who will have to sleep hungry. Today, 5 kg grains to 65 lakh people are given free of cost every month. Such a scheme does not exist anywhere else in the world.”

Speaking on the national health insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Shah said, “More than 60 crore people are given health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh by the government of India. I write to many owners of private hospitals saying “no fees” and the poor (bichare) guys even accept this because I am a Minister but I have seen their faces while exempting even one patient’s fees. But they too have problems. And now we have gone forward to extend the health insurance scheme to people about 70 years of age of all income groups.” He said, “Between 2014 and 2024, Narendra Modi implemented what the makers of the constitution imagined as the ideal welfare state.”

Talking about development, Shah said, “And with this, a lot of development (vikas) has taken place. I don’t want to touch on that. Till the time that more than 60 crore people of this country remain poor, the country cannot develop. Prime Minister thought about this brought a solution and implemented it from the ground level. As a result 25 crore out of the 60 crore people have come out of poverty as defined by the United Nations, in just 10 years.”

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