Boosting infra, empowering youth in rural areas a priority: PM Modi

At the inauguration of Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of creating economic policies that take into account every section of the society to strengthen the

Emphasising that his vision was to ensure an empowered rural India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday said that strengthening infrastructure, ensuring basic amenities and providing job and business opportunities to youth in villages through various schemes was a priority of his government.  

 

In his inaugural speech at the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, the PM noted that rural youth are receiving support from schemes like the Mudra Yojana, Start-Up India, and Stand-Up India.

 

He said that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have benefited from the Credit Link Guarantee Scheme, with over one crore rural MSMEs reaping its benefits. 

 

 

“Ensuring a dignified life for the people of rural India is the priority of my government,” he said.

 

Modi added that his vision was to ensure an empowered rural India, provide ample opportunities for villagers, reduce migration and ensure ease of life of the people in villages. For this, the government has implemented a programme in each and every village to ensure basic amenities. 

 

He further highlighted that every house was provided with a toilet as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, crores of people in rural India were given pucca houses as part of PM Awaas Yojana and lakhs of houses in villages were ensured safe and clean drinking water through Jal Jeevan Mission.

 

“Today, health facilities are being provided to people in more than 1.5 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs,” the Prime Minister said. He added that telemedicine, assisted by digital technologies, has ensured the option of best doctors and hospitals in the villages. Crores of people in the rural areas have benefited from telemedicine through e-Sanjeevini. 

 

Modi remarked that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world wondered how India's villages would cope. He added that the government ensured that vaccines reached to the last person in every village. 

 

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of creating economic policies that take into account every section of the society to strengthen the rural economy.

 

PM Modi also underscored the goal of providing maximum economic assistance to villagers, enabling them to engage in farming and create new employment and self-employment opportunities. He noted that through the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, farmers have received approximately Rs 3 lakh crore in financial assistance.

 

Highlighting the focus on rural infrastructure, the PM highlighted that most villages are now connected to highways, expressways, and railways. He noted that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, approximately 4 lakh kilometres of roads were constructed in rural areas over the past 10 years.

 

“Villages are becoming the modern 21st-century villages in terms of digital infrastructure,” he said. 

 

Modi noted that over 94 per cent of rural households now have access to telephones or mobile phones and banking services, and world-class technology like UPI was available in villages. The number of Common Service Centres has increased from less than 1 lakh before 2014 to over 5 lakh today, providing dozens of government services online. He underlined that this infrastructure was accelerating village development, creating employment opportunities, and integrating villages into the nation's progress.

 

At the same event, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government is primarily working to uplift the poor, youth, farmers and women through various central schemes financed by the public sector banks (PSBs).

 

“PSBs are already operating credit saturation drives in priority sectors for schemes such as PM Mudra Yojana, PM Awas Yojana, and SVAnidhi Yojana. Taking the momentum further, the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav showcases India's rich cultural heritage as well as the aspirations of rural people and development in the four areas — GI Tags, natural farming, women empowerment, tribal welfare, with a focus on North East products," Sitharaman said. 

 

Sitharaman highlighted that the event showcases rural products, including over 50 items with geographical indication (GI) tags, and pointed out several initiatives aimed at women’s empowerment like Drone Didis and Lakhpati Didis programmes that have significantly contributed to skill development and economic growth among women.