"India has launched seven satellites to augment the GPS system. With the kind of politics going on in our country and massive work being done, it came to our mind that let's name it (the solar-powered boat project) after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay or Shayma Prasad Mukherjee (the RSS icons).
"You have already seen how many schemes are named after one family. We also felt tempted to name the project after those who belonged to us. But this Modi is made of a different stuff. I named it Naavik (boatman). I did not name it after any of my family members or any leader. I have given a name, which gives immortality to the fishermen community," Modi said.
"Unfortunately politics in our country took a direction in which policies were always made to strengthen vote bank. The focus was that the vote bank should remain strong, irrespective of whether the poor, the citizens of the country, get empowered or not or the country is strengthened or not.
"Earlier when something was talked about our Nishad brothers, the price of diesel was brought down by one rupee or so in the hope that they will cast their vote in favour. But we have made schemes, which empower the poor to fight and defeat the poverty themselves. We are working in that direction," he said listing a number of other schemes.
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crore scheme to provide free LPG connections to five crore poor families, the Prime Minister hit out at the erstwhile Congress-led governments, saying most policies under them were made keeping the ballot box in mind and not for development or poverty alleviation.
"Uttar Pradesh has given so many Prime Ministers. But why did the poverty levels go on increasing? Were there some drawbacks in these policies?" he asked.
He said an MP from Ghazipur had raised the issue of abject poverty in eastern UP when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister following which a commission was formed which made several major recommendations.
In Varanasi, the Prime Minister said his government believes in "going to the root" of problems to resolve them otherwise the situation remains stagnants while elections and formation of governments keep on happening.
"Even after passage of 70 years since India got independence, the doors of banks were closed for 40 per cent of Indians. The Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana launched by our government ensured that the poor are able to open their bank account with zero balance. Banks should remember that this government, the country and the banks belong to the poor," he said.
Contrasting the focus of his government against those that
preceded it, Modi, whose dispensation has often been accused by Congress of pursuing "pro-rich and pro-corporate" policies said,"Many governments came in past, which worked for the rich. This time a government has come, which aims at benefiting the poor. This government is for those who have nobody else to fall back upon."
"Earlier the government used to bring down the price of diesel by one or two rupees. Today with my one decision, each poor boatman will be able to save Rs 500 daily. Will he now be able to defeat poverty or not? One decision can bring about such a big change," he said.
The Prime Minister urged the community to spend the money saved on education of their children and not on alcohol. He also appealed to people in his constituency to take up the cleanliness drive with full gusto.
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Before launching the environment friendly e-boats, the Prime Minister interacted with boatmen, and took a brief ride on an e-boat in the River Ganga.
Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed e-rickshaws to beneficiaries, and interacted with them.
Interacting with prominent citizens of Varanasi, the Prime Minister exhorted them to work for ensuring cleanliness and making Varanasi one of the one of the cleanest cities.