Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked a woman whether she would contest elections while interacting with the beneficiaries of the central government schemes in Varanasi during his two-day visit here. The beneficiaries shared their experiences under the 'Meri Kahani Meri Zubani' initiative.
Beneficiary of 'lakhpati didi' scheme, Chanda Devi, resident of Rampur village, however, said she will not contest polls but wants to work under PM Modi's guidance.
Interacting with beneficiaries under the 'Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra' in Barki village of Varanasi, PM Modi was impressed by Chanda's eloquent speech and self-confidence. He inquired about her educational qualifications and said, "You gave such a wonderful speech. Will you contest elections?" Chanda replied that she has studied till Intermediate and said that she would not like to contest.
Chanda said she is impressed by the Prime Minister and wants to move forward under his guidance. She said that it is a privilege for her to stand and speak before the PM, who also asked Chanda whether she faced any problem in taking care of her family being a working woman.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi applauded Chanda and said, "Even eminent people cannot deliver such a good speech. She explained everything in details. I asked some questions and she answered those. She is our 'lakhpati didi'. When I told her that she has become 'lakhpati didi', she said that in her group, there were three to four others who have also become 'lakhpati didis'," PM Modi said.
Elaborating on the 'Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra', PM Modi said that through this yatra he and his colleagues have been able to identify the potential and strength within the society. "Our mothers, sisters, daughters and children are all very powerful. I am going on the Sankalp Yatra for two days. Yesterday, I got a chance to meet school children and could see the confidence that they have in themselves," he said.
Chanda passed her Intermediate exam in 2004 but could not study further because she got married the next year. Her family consists of her husband, a daughter and a son. Explaining her work, Chanda said that she handles the bank accounts of women of self-help groups.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi said that presently the villages have 'didis of banks', 'didis of anganwadis' and 'didis providing medicines'. "Now my dream is to have 'lakhpati didi' in every village. My dream is to create two crore such 'lakhpati didis' in the villages," he said.
Under the scheme, women are trained in skills like plumbing, LED bulb making and operating and repairing drones. Through the scheme, training is imparted to women to enable them to earn more than Rs one lakh every year. Also, drones are provided to women self-help groups for undertaking agricultural activities.
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