Some used to mock PM Modi’s simplistic schemes. Some failed to understand their relevance. Today, as we live through a lockdown, their transformative effect is visible and their importance is dawning on us.

Read and share if you concur with my views.

Jan Dhan Yojana —

38 cr accounts opened. 7,825 cr rupees have been deposited in accounts of 15.65 cr poor women.

Without this scheme it would’ve been impossible to manage the lockdown. There would’ve been anarchy as the poor wouldn’t have been able to survive.

Had this scheme not been introduced by PM Modi, the money that would’ve been transferred to the poor would’ve involved middlemen creating massive corruption.

The losers would’ve been the poor, the taxpayers and the nation. The only winner, the corrupt.

Ujjwala Yojana —

8 cr plus beneficiaries. 13,000 cr rupees to be spent on providing these poor women with a total of three 14.2-kg LPG cylinders for free between April to June.

This will ease their lives substantially reducing economic burden.

Now imagine the lockdown without this scheme. These women had to walk miles to collect wood to make food. With restrictions on leaving the house, they wouldn’t have been able to do so leading to a lack of resources to cook. It would’ve been a terrible ordeal.

Swachh Bharat —

10.28 cr toilets built. A UNICEF finding said households located in ODF areas are saving Rs. 50,000/year. The World Health Organization estimated that by 2018 the campaign saved 1.8 lakh lives that were earlier lost due to diarrhoea.

Swachh Bharat has reduced the spread of diseases. This has great significance in the lockdown. The medical infra is already under stress and without a simple thing as toilets many poor would’ve taken to ill and burdened the infra. The economic benefits can’t be ignored either.

Digital India/Demonetisation —

Demo imbibed us with an ease with digital transactions. The sudden lockdown would’ve been much more difficult had we not been accustomed to digital transactions whether be transferring money to others or making online payments.

Awas Yojana —

The crores of houses that have been built for many poor has given them a roof in these times when staying on the streets is extremely difficult. Crores of poor are having access to water and shelter.