Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday tom-tommed what he described as a “record”.
“Friends, amid corona, despite many hurdles, 18 lakh houses have been built across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Of them, Madhya Pradesh alone accounts for 1.75 lakh houses. The pace at which this work was done is in itself a record,” Modi said, addressing beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh.
“Under normal circumstances, its takes 125 days to build a house under the PM Awas Yojana. Now what I am going to share is an extremely positive development for the country as well as our media friends,” the Prime Minister said.
“Amid corona, it took only between 45 and 60 days to build each house. This is a great example of turning adversity into opportunity.”
Modi continued: “You will think, how was this possible? Friends, our labourer brothers and sisters who returned from the cities have contributed hugely in ensuring this speed. They had the skills as well as the will power and they joined the drive. This is how we got this result.
“In this way our friends, extracting all benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, looked after their families and also built houses for their impoverished brothers and sisters.”
Modi summed up: “In a way, the PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan emerged as a very big support for the village economy.”
Modi’s announcement of the world’s harshest lockdown at just four hours’ notice on March 24 had perpetrated an unspeakable migrant crisis, with millions forced to walk hundreds of miles or hitch rides to return home. Many died on the way.