Rs 31.52 crore accounts opened under Jan Dhan Yojana: Sitharaman

Our correspondent

Itanagar, May 29: Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said under the Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana, about Rs 31,52 crore accounts have been opened in the country, which has proved that the NDA government at the Centre has ensured better life for all. The minister, highlighting the achievements of the BJP-led NDA government in the last 48 months through a power-point presentation, said according to the World Bank Findex report, India accounts 55 per cent of new bank accounts globally between 20014 and 2017.

“Under the Prime Minister Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana around 13.25 crore people in the country were insured and about one core people subscribed to Atal Pension Yojana,” she said while interacting with media persons at Dorjee Khandu Mmorial Convention Hall here.

The minister said under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan over 3.6 lak villages in 17 States of the country were declared open defecation free(ODF), while 83 per cent sanitation coverage were achieved during 2018 in comparison to 38 per cent in 2014.

The government also ensured food security for more than 80 crore people in 36 States and Union Territories as against 14 States during 2014, she said while indirectly taking a dig at the previous Congress regime.

“Under the Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) an amount of Rs 3, 65, 996 crore have been directly transferred to bank accounts under 431 schemes, and the GDP of the country in the current price increased by 31 per cent between 2013 and 2017 while the global GDP increased by only 14 per cent,” Sitharaman said.

On the defence sector, the minister said that the country had made remarkable achievement with the introduction of one rank one pension, modernization of defence forces besides carrying out surgical strike.

She said that major thrust was also laid by the government on farmers by introducing programmes like per drop more crop, e-market, containing pilferage in fertilizers etc.

“The government also paying more thrust in harnessing yuva shakti by transforming education through overhauling the school education apparatus, creating self-employment avenues and furthering sports and sportsmanship through Khelo India initiative,” she added.

She said the government had also realized India’s full potential through women-led development by introducing various programmes and schemes.

The minister also highlighted all the achievements in the social sector, health and infrastructure development besides efforts of the government in eliminating corruption and controlling black money.